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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27447922">I Choose You!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuxAndLight/pseuds/LuxAndLight'>LuxAndLight</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>EXO (Band), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Angst, Fluff, Gen, Glaceon!Minseok, Hybrid Pokemon - Freeform, M/M, Pokemon Battles, Raichu!Jongdae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 03:02:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>38,856</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27447922</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuxAndLight/pseuds/LuxAndLight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jongdae likes to stick by his morals, but when a battle 'Mon needs help getting back to the mountains, it's going to take a lot more than books and cheap Repel to make it to the end.</p><p> </p><p>At least the Glaceon knows how to fight (but don't tell him he said that).</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Minseok | Xiumin, Minor Baekyeol - Relationship, Minor Kaisoo - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>EXO MONSTERFEST 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Quick Claw</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for Monsterfest 2020, prompt L99.</p><p>To the prompter, this was the prompt that really caught my eye. Pokemon hybrids <i>and</i> Xiuchen? Sign me up! Granted, I may have done a few liberties on the plot, and it kind of branched out farther than what I originally thought of it to be, but I hope you enjoy this massive adventure with our two sweethearts!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Region of Elyxion, a place known among trainers and professors alike to have vast landscapes fit for an explorer at heart. It is the home of some of the largest forests and tallest mountains the world has ever seen! But of course, this was a necessity when you’re hiding a great secret that is yet to be discovered. </p><p>Deep within Seasons Forest, two Pokémon can be found circling around a Koko Berry, hissing and clawing at the air in an attempt to intimidate the other and take the colorful fruit for themselves. To a human’s naked eye, this was just a normal Raticate and a Raichu fighting for a bite to eat, but little do they know that these were two entirely different creatures all on their own.</p><p>Just as the Raticate gave its final warning hiss and readied itself to pounce, its Electric-type foe’s ears suddenly began twitching, orange and white fur beginning to recede into its peach human-like skin as his body began growing larger and longer in size. The confused Raticate watched in complete awe as its opponent suddenly transformed into a smirking human, the latter taking one step towards him with his hands raised to mimic claws.</p><p>“Boo.”</p><p>Startled by the whole ordeal, the Raticate gave one last squeak before turning around to make his escape, leaving the Koko Berry for the Raichu-slash-boy to take. Chuckling heartily to himself, he picked up the berry before tilting his head upwards, holding the edible like some kind of prize.</p><p>“See, Nini? I told you it will work!” he exclaims, “Everything from my books <em> always </em>works!”</p><p>From the highest branch of the nearest tree, a little brown head with matching ursine ears pops out from under the cluster of leaves before he peers down at the delighted male. After a moment, he finally shakes his disguise off his body before giving Jongdae a fascinated expression.</p><p>“So they <em> do </em>have a use, after all!” He chuckles. He leans towards the trunk before turning back to cheekily smile at his friend. “And here we thought they're just fancy foot wipers."</p><p>The newly-turned male gasps, "You wouldn't dare! I've worked hard to get all of that!"</p><p>"Taking them from passing trainers and scientists is hard work?”</p><p>“Do you consider trying to get away from Pokémon and their partners easy?”</p><p>“Touché.” The Teddiursa mutters, “I just never thought staring at those rectangular things all day will pay off.”</p><p>“It's called <em> reading </em>, Nini.” The other male huffs, crossing his arms. “And some of them really have interesting stories! This just might be the closest I could ever see myself with a Legendary, you know.”</p><p>“The closest? The Ho-Oh poster you’ve kissed might say otherwise.”</p><p>The Raichu sputters, almost dropping the berry from the blunt statement. “Hey! That was a long time ago!” He whines, hiding his face in his hand. “Nothing could be worse about that. Well, apart from the inaccurate depictions about us in the books, and, well...”</p><p>“The fighting?”</p><p>“You know me too well, Jongin.” The other grins, before raising his prize once more. “But hey, at least I got this without fighting for it!”</p><p>“That’s because you scared your opponent away, ‘Dae.” Jongin chides playfully from his spectating spot from above, tossing a small bag to the pouting hybrid who had barely enough time to catch it.</p><p>The Teddiursa hybrid watched fondly as his friend fumbled with the bag for a moment before he started his descent from the branch he was sitting on, and by the time he had set his paws on the ground again, Jongdae, the Raichu hybrid, was finally dressed.</p><p>“Same thing.” Jongdae shrugged, sniffing the berry happily. “Battles are messy. I mean, who would want to deal with its aftermath? Nobody!” He takes a bite, chewing for a bit before swallowing. “And so they just leave their mess as it is. Don’t they realize how hazardous it is for the other ‘Mon living here?”</p><p>He tosses the half-eaten berry towards the other without warning, but Jongin had easily caught it with his clawed hands. He opened his mouth to reply, but a sudden call had cut him off; a call that Jongdae had loathed hearing.</p><p>“Pidgeotto, use Whirlwind!”</p><p>The Raichu bounded towards the sound before disappearing in a cluster of bushes and leaves, Jongin following a little later with the berry wedged in his mouth. In their hiding spot, Jongdae grimaced when he saw the flashy clothing of the trainers, but even more so when he spotted the Pokémon that complied with their respective trainer’s every command.</p><p>Jongdae watched as the brown avian soared through the air and started vigorously flapping its wings, the hybrid’s frown deepening when the move blew away not only its opponent but also the fallen red and orange leaves that dotted the area. In response, the Golem did not wait for its trainer’s command and had already dug down underground to avoid the Pidgeotto’s next move.</p><p>“See what I mean?” Jongdae huffed. His bifurcated ears that stayed with him through his transformation flickered in distaste at the battle in front of them, “They’re ruining the place with their fight and then they’ll just leave!”</p><p>True to his word, the two Pokémon were slowly turning the clearing into a mess of strewn about leaves and holes, but the two humans commanding them paid no attention to the clutter around them and continued their battle. Jongdae would have been fine with the stream of bug catchers and Pokémon trainers going in and out of their forest every single day, but the spontaneous fights that break out between these said bug catchers and trainers really get under his fur.</p><p>In a weak attempt to share the same disdain with the other, the Teddiursa hybrid sitting beside him moves the leaves of the bush they were hiding behind and takes one glance at the ongoing battle before going back to snacking on the fruits on his lap.</p><p>“I really don’t see anything wrong with that.” He shrugs. </p><p>“Jongin! Didn’t you hear what I just said?” The Raichu hybrid whines, lightning bolt-shaped tail thumping on the ground to emphasize his words. “They’re harming the ecosystem with their useless fighting!”</p><p>“Shh, you’ll attract the trainers.” The ursine Pokémon calmly places one claw on the elder’s lips. “So what if a little patch in the forest gets deformed? Both parties improve and get better afterward, and that provides the counter it needs to keep the natural balance.” Jongin shrugs one shoulder. “It just evens out.”</p><p>Jongdae swats the hand away with a huff, “You’re becoming more like Yixing and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.” He paused to shiver, glaring at the Pidgeotto as it used Gust. “Why should we harm other Pokémon to get better anyway?”</p><p>“Oh, this again.” Jongin snorts as he munches on a berry mid-sentence. “Like ‘Xing-hyung said, it’s innate. Besides, nothing could compare to the euphoric feeling when they win, or the drive that encourages them to do better when they lose, hyung.”</p><p>“Nothing?” Jongdae repeats, “I’m sure hundreds of things that could be better than...than <em> this </em>!”</p><p>Sensing that their conversation will just revert into another endless debate, Jongin hums but otherwise keeps quiet, opting to watch the Pokémon battle in the clearing come to a close. They watch as the Pidgeotto dives down towards the Golem before performing a Wing Attack, the hit almost critical as it sends the boulder Pokémon flying through the air and lands right next to its devastated trainer. </p><p>And just like that, the battle was over, much to Jongdae’s relief.</p><p>“Come on, Jongin, before we become their clean up crew.” He jokes, “I’m sure Kyungsoo’s wondering where we—”</p><p>The Raichu was about to turn around to walk back to their den when Jongin suddenly gripped the sleeve of his button-down shirt and tugged it wordlessly, garnering the attention of the other male. Glancing at Jongin with a confused expression, the younger seemed to be focused on something in the distance which made Jongdae look over to where he was staring at.</p><p>At first glance, nothing was out of the ordinary with the landscape. The two trainers were happily bantering in the clearing as the afternoon sun shone over the Autumn forest and its fiery hues, but upon closer look, the anomaly can be seen in the background as clear as day. Squinting at the strange creature that was hiding behind a tree, Jongdae had half the mind to immediately call it another Pokémon but it wasn’t one he was familiar with. With long ears and an icy-blue pelt, it was definitely a Pokémon he hadn’t seen in the books he had read.</p><p>“I’ve seen that Pokémon before,” Jongin muttered quietly, ruffling his chestnut-brown hair with his other hand restlessly, “It was from something Kyungie brought back for me, I just know it-”</p><p>Excited squeals suddenly pierce through the air and startled the two hybrids. Looking back at the clearing, they could see that the trainers had caught sight of the unknown Pokémon and started looking through the weird glowing devices they have called a Pokédex. </p><p>“Oh no,” Jongin muttered, anxiously playing with the frayed edges of his sleeve as he rose to his feet</p><p>Jongdae also couldn’t help but grimace as the Pokémon started fearfully backing away from the bewildered trainers, an odd feeling rising from the pit of his stomach that wouldn’t settle even if he looked away from the spectacle. He wasn’t really the one to meddle with things like these since he liked to stay out of the sight of humans, but this strange creature had piqued his interest more than he would have liked. </p><p>Ruling out the strange feeling from earlier as curiosity, Jongdae decided to take a closer look at this Pokémon in order to calm the sensation that he started feeling at the bottom of his stomach. But just as he began shedding his clothes, Jongin made an alarming noise.</p><p>“What are you doing?” He questioned, hand once again gripping his sleeve, “You can’t fight! How can you possibly-”</p><p>“Calm down, Nini. I’m just going to watch over this one,” He rubs the other’s shoulder to ease his worries a bit, “I won’t intervene, I swear. I’ll just have a closer look at this Pokémon, okay?”</p><p>Jongin narrows his eyes at the elder but he still gave a hesitant nod and took a step back, letting Jongdae finish his actions. With his clothes off with the exception of his button-down which he wrapped around his waist to cover his decency, the Raichu shifted into his full form and began shuffling towards the side of the clearing towards the cyan Pokémon. </p><p>It appears to be a quadruped with long diamond flaps hanging from its head that looks very similar to its tail, but its eyes were the most captivating for the hybrid, for the shape of the feature can rival even a Persian’s and the Pokémon doesn’t remotely look feline. Truly peculiar. </p><p>But before Jongdae could marvel at the unknown creature longer, the trainers suddenly lunged forward and started chasing after it when it scampered away. Still not satiated, the Raichu left no time for his rational side to protest as he began sprinting towards where the cyan Pokémon and the trainers ran off to, his brown paws flitting swiftly along the leaf-covered forest floor as he steadily began catching up to them. </p><p>The fabric of his shirt acted almost like a cape as it flapped in the wind and Jongdae would have felt ridiculous if he weren’t worried about the unknown creature he was looking after right now. It felt like he was one of those superheroes in the books he had countlessly read before, minus the spandex and, well, the will to fight anyone. He was just going to observe what’s going to happen, that’s all.</p><p>
  <em> “Squa!” </em>
</p><p>The cry startled Jongdae out of his thoughts and into a halt as one of the trainers had let out his Pidgeotto once more, the agile bird zooming past the creature they were chasing after and successfully blocked its path. </p><p>The hybrid had expected the Pokémon to go on defense as the avian started preparing itself for its trainer’s command, so even he jumped back in surprise when the small quadruped unhinged its jaw and shot out an Ice Beam straight at the bird, the impact strong enough to send it colliding against a tree, unmoving. Creeping closer towards the action, Jongdae can see the ice crystals that formed along the surface of the fainted Pokémon’s feathers.</p><p>“What?!” The Pidgeotto’s trainer blanched, immediately pulling out a Pokéball to collect his fallen partner, “Doesn’t Ice Beam come from a Technical Machine? How does it know-?”</p><p>Pushing the trainer aside, the other human throws his Pokéball to the ground and a large boulder-like Pokémon rolls into view, its glaring eyes meeting with the defiant ones of the Ice-type before it shot itself towards the other with a loud grunt, its four tri-fingered hands curling into fists in front of him.</p><p>“Graveler, use Rock Throw!” Its trainer shouts gleefully, only to panic when the Rock-type ignores him and starts throwing blind punches at its opponent, “No, Graveler, listen to me!”</p><p>Unfortunately, the boulder didn’t even bat an eye at the shouting boy as it continued attacking its opponent by itself, growing even more frustrated when the fox-like Pokémon kept dodging and swerving to avoid his multiple fists while successfully countering with its own set of bone-chilling moves. </p><p>Jongdae watched in absolute awe as the strange Pokémon kept spinning flawlessly in the air, its lithe body gracefully twisting and turning while saving itself from the onslaught of attacks. If he hadn’t known better, he would have guessed that this Pokémon had a trainer, but looking around, there were no humans besides the two younglings in front of him. </p><p>Maybe they got separated? The forest <em> is </em>a large enough area that even Jongdae had lost Jongin once in their game of hide and seek when the ursine hybrid had ventured too far to the North. He had gotten a well-deserved peck on the head from a certain Dartrix hybrid, who also happened to be Jongin’s mate, and after a few hours of searching (and lecturing from Kyungsoo), they finally found a sleeping Jongin by his favorite sleeping spot (“I thought you went here first!” “It was too obvious of a place so I didn’t!”). </p><p>A deep cry suddenly pierced through Jongdae’s thoughts and reverted his focus back on the fight, where the two Pokémon were still battling it out while the trainers could only watch and shout at them in vain, knowing that stepping in-between the fight will lead to them getting seriously hurt. Jongdae knew that it was just about time before the Graveller fell over and fainted as it was having trouble standing on its own two feet, but instead of finally ceasing and backing away, the Graveller did the complete opposite.</p><p>The Raichu hybrid watched as the boulder rested its arms on its body and started rolling towards its opponent at full speed. The Ice-type narrowed his eyes at the other’s advancement and started growling, his cyan orbs starting to glow as his fur started hardening into sharp spikes. Unfortunately, it didn’t succeed in finishing its protective coat as the boulder had collided against it first, and in a last resort to finally land a hit on the Ice-type, the Graveller sparked a fiery red for a split second before promptly exploding into a Self-Destruct.</p><p>Jongdae quickly ducked and covered his ears, saving himself from any auditory damage as well as the bits of dirt and debris that flew by from the attack’s aftermath. His heart pounded loudly as countless thoughts invaded his head as to what happened to the poor quadruped, but when he poked his head out of his hiding spot a few seconds later, there was the Pokémon, growling threateningly at the unmoving Rock-type at its feet.</p><p>“Woah.” Jongdae found himself muttering, eyes widened in shock as the two boys that had been looking over in the sidelines paled when the Pokémon’s attention suddenly turned to them.</p><p>“Get your stupid rock monster back, Yoon!” One of them cried, tugging the other’s arm before breaking into a sprint away from the quadruped, the other following shortly after he clumsily collected his stubborn partner.</p><p>Once the two humans have left, the creature quietened its growl into very inaudible pants and just as it took a step forward, its legs gave away from underneath him and it dropped down to the floor with a sad whine, leaving Jongdae in the same state of shock as before, but this time, he was at a loss.</p><p>After a beat or two of silence have passed, Jongdae creeps out into the small battle zone, too concerned about the unmoving Pokémon in front of him to be irritated by the landscape that was ruined from their fight. Using his long tail, the Raichu gave an experimental poke at the other’s back, but it didn’t even move an inch. It must have been knocked out pretty bad. </p><p>This was a Pokémon whom he doesn’t know, yet he here he is, isn’t he? He couldn’t just leave this poor thing for the Mandibuzz and other scavenger Pokémon to snack on later, but then again, he’s seen what this Ice-type is capable of. What if it attacked them unprovoked after Yixing had healed him? He’ll never forgive himself if his den mates get hurt all because of his bleeding heart.</p><p>But just as he turned around to go back, his tail suddenly brushed against the mammal’s ear and the latter let out a whimper. The Pokémon weakly raises his head and pries his eyes open to look at Jongdae with a fearful expression, struggling to shuffle back away from him, yet he could only go so far before fatigue hits him and he doubles over once more.</p><p>He weakly attempts to protect himself against Jongdae by trying the same freezing tactic as he would have done against the Graveller, but all that permeated in the air around them was nothing colder than a strong breeze. After a long second, the attempt finally stops and silence fills the clearing as the Pokémon succumbs to the darkness.</p><p>Jongdae froze, his inner conscience shouting louder in his ears as each second ticks by. He couldn’t just leave him here, right?</p><p>After a prolonged mental debate, he exhales heavily through his small button nose as he closes his eyes. “Please don’t be hostile.” </p><p>Shifting back into a half-human, Jongdae turns around and gently picks up the Pokémon who seemed almost tiny compared to him as he fits into the hybrid’s arms easily, shifting only once to bury itself into Jongdae’s warm chest. He should be shivering right now, with the Ice-type literally pressing itself against his bare skin, but weirdly enough, he felt oddly warm.</p><p>A Pokémon must be using Sunny Day nearby. </p><p></p><div class="center">
  <pre> 
\¯¯\¯¯\¯¯\¯¯\¯¯\¯¯\¯¯\       
&gt;==========================
/__/__/__/__/__/__/__/       
</pre>
</div><p>
  <em> “Well, this is new.” </em>
</p><p>Jongdae ignores the Dartrix hovering above him and focuses on getting back to the den to their ever-friendly healer, even if his cheeks were reddening in embarrassment. His blush wasn’t the product of almost being stark naked for his friends to see, that’s for sure. They have gone past that initial awkward stage where Yixing likes to sleep on their soft mounds (especially Kyungsoo’s, but don’t let him hear you say that).</p><p>But for some reason, he’s getting flustered because he’s seen carrying this unknown Pokémon, whom he has no relations with, back to their den with no hesitation whatsoever. Only when Kyungsoo had his questioning eyes on him did he realize that <em>maybe he hadn’t thought this through after all.</em></p><p>Jongdae internally sighed, but his steady pace did not falter. He’s in this too deep now (and so close to their den nonetheless), so he’ll have to endure the avian’s jabs for just a few more minutes.</p><p><em> “I honestly didn’t think you had it in you. You really knocked him out cold.” </em> Kyungsoo comments, flapping his white-feathered wings calmly beside him. The owl-like Pokémon pauses for a moment before blowing away the bigger green leaf in the asymmetrical cut he was donning. <em> “I really miss my bald Rowlet head. These damn things just get in the way.” </em></p><p>“Wait, what?” Jongdae sputters, stopping momentarily to blanch at the stoic hybrid beside him. “I didn’t fight it! Some Pokémon and its trainer did.”</p><p>In turn, Kyungsoo shrugged. <em> “Well, it was worth a try.” </em></p><p>The Raichu didn’t have time to ask what meant by that, for they already turned the corner and a familiar Teddiursa had popped out of the large clump of grass that was hidden from plain view by small trees and vines, courtesy of the flying Grass-type, of course. The worried ursine immediately barrels into the Raichu, who had just enough time to turn to the side and protect his precious cargo before he was crushed in a tight bear hug.</p><p>“I never should have let you go alone!” Jongin cries, rubbing his head on Jongdae’s shoulder, “Kyungsoo told me he spotted those nasty Team Red-somethings down by the edge of the mountain again and since you don’t know how to fight and we won’t be there and—”</p><p>Jongin abruptly paused, looking over the other’s shoulder once he caught the scent of an unknown Pokémon in the Raichu’s arms. “Oh, it’s him! That’s the Glaceon from before.”</p><p>Jongdae hums in acknowledgment, taking a glance at the small mammal in his arms. This Pokémon is a Glaceon…interesting. He hasn’t seen one of them in this forest before, so the chances of it being the current or the former partner of a trainer are very high. He’ll have to ask Kyungsoo to scout the area to see if there’s a human lost in the woods again.</p><p>“I found a pamphlet all about them, ‘Dae!” The bear adds, “You won’t believe it at first, but they live in—”</p><p><em> “I think it’s best if we take the Glaceon to Yixing first, Nini.” </em> Kyungsoo swoops down before shifting next to the taller, “But in the meantime, I’ve spotted a few new berry plants near this place that you might want to see.” </p><p>Jongin gasps before beaming at the avian with a happy noise, a deep rumble coming from his chest as he snuggles up the other’s side. Meanwhile, Kyungsoo coos at his mate in response and wraps his feathered arm around the younger’s midsection, his bare chest pressing onto whatever cotton shirt Jongin had put on. </p><p>Jongdae would have teased the two hybrids and earned another smack on the back of the head from Kyungsoo if his focus wasn’t set on helping the light blue bundle in his arms. And so, he bids the two goodbye and continues trekking towards their den where their Audino friend was no doubt sleeping peacefully in. </p><p>After gently placing the unconscious Pokémon on a small table that came with the den (it was by pure luck they came across an abandoned Secret Base like this), Jongdae observes the Glaceon one more time before turning towards the Audino’s part of the den.</p><p>“‘Xing, I have a-!”</p><p>“How peculiar.” </p><p>Jongdae startles at the sudden comment and whirls around back towards the Glaceon, eyes widened in surprise as he catches sight of a certain Normal-type now beside the table, poking and prodding at the former with rapt interest. How did he get here?!</p><p>“Oh my, I never thought I’d be treating such an exotic Pokémon like this.” Yixing hums, placing his stethoscope-like ear on the Ice-type’s side. “But then again, I never thought of it in the first place, so it doesn’t surprise me.”</p><p>Jongdae rolls his eyes at the remark, “You say that all that time that even <em> that </em>doesn’t surprise us anymore.”</p><p>“I do?” Yixing mumbles, scratching his head momentarily before going back to his patient, "You really did a number on him, ‘Dae. He may be an Ice-type but you've managed to singe some of his fur!"</p><p>Jongdae gaped at the pink-haired hybrid, his sputters falling on deaf ears as the latter already placed his hands on the cyan fur, a light salmon hue coming out of his palms as he used Heal Pulse on the fainted Pokèmon.</p><p>"I didn't do this!" The Raichu whined exasperatedly, annoyed that he needed to explain once again. "It was fighting a Graveller and the sentient rock used Self-Destruct. It had nothing to do with me!"</p><p>“It’s a he.” Yixing raised his eyebrow at the other before gently patting his shoulder to provide some kind of comfort, "But it's alright ‘Dae-ah, we change all the time. You don't have to be ashamed."</p><p>"Change? Ashamed? What in the world are you talking about?" Jongdae looked at the Audino like he had grown two heads. "You have a keen sense of hearing! Couldn't you just tell whether I'm lying or not from that?"</p><p>A beat of silence passed before Yixing looked over at the younger.</p><p>"I can do that?"</p><p>With a strangled sigh, Jongdae slumps his head down on the table in defeat. As much as he loves this hyung, his ability to remember things was not his strongest trait. How was he even able to remember the Raichu's dislike of fighting? He may never know.</p><p>"Well, that should do it." Yixing swipes his forehead with the back of his hand, "I'll just get the revival herbs and he'll be up and going in no time. Keep an eye on him, Daedae!"</p><p>Before Jongdae can respond, the Audino already scurried off out of sight towards his corner, leaving him alone with the Glaceon. The Raichu glances awkwardly at the other and, with nothing better to do, fitted himself in more decent clothes before he began picking up the countless objects littered on the floor, feeling much more self-conscious about their den-slash-base now that a stranger was currently sleeping on their table.</p><p>Glancing back at the ‘Mon, Jongdae marveled at how unique they looked. Judging by their icy coat and even colder aura, they were definitely not from their forest, that’s for sure. Didn’t Jongin mention that they have a pamphlet all about them?</p><p>After a moment of fighting with his moral code, the Raichu quickly snuck into Jongin and Kyungsoo’s corner of their den and snatched the wrinkled paper from their messy nest. The colors had faded and some words scratched out, but most of it had been readable enough for Jongdae to understand the gist of what the published material was all about.</p><p>“‘As the largest landmark in Elyxion, Mt. Tane’s Peak serves as the home for’ blah, blah...where is it?” Jongdae huffed in agitation. He kneeled down and unfolded the relatively large paper until an entire map was laid flat on the floor. “Is this it?”</p><p>Scattered around the sides of the map were different map legends and Pokémon that Jongdae hadn’t recognized, yet what had caught his eye was the creature situated at the far right of the paper that looked similar to Glaceon, albeit bigger and a bit more shaggy. </p><p>It says that they were only seen in sanctuaries and nursery homes in Mt. Tane’s Peak, so why was one wandering around a forest that was miles away from where he was supposed to be?</p><p>“We’re back!”</p><p>Jongdae startled at the excitable voice and took a fleeting glance at the Glaceon, realizing that the noise won’t bother its deep slumber, before focusing on the mated couple entering the den. They had a grass-woven basket that was filled halfway with berries of all shapes and sizes, which was already bountiful for the hybrids, yet Jongin had a forlorn expression as he placed it right next to the fainted Ice-type.</p><p>“Someone destroyed the new berry patch.” He sniffled, “The leaves were torn, the roots upturned, a-and it was just...”</p><p>“It wasn’t an accident, and it wasn’t from a Pokémon either,” Kyungsoo confirms, looking just as upset as the bear. “It was definitely from those Red Force bastards.”</p><p>“What could they possibly do <em> this </em>time? Starve us out of our dens?”</p><p>Fortunately, Yixing entered the scene and stopped the three bothered hybrids before they went on another hour-long tirade, a small bundle of bitter smelling herbs in hand.  The fact that Jongdae and the others recoiled away from the smell once Yixing broke off a piece must have been enough to agitate the fainted creature, to which it did.</p><p>The Glaceon abruptly sprung away from the offending herb and stumbled down from the table, knocking the basket of berries in the process. Alarmed, Jongdae immediately shielded the map with his tail before moving to pick it up, ears twitching at the panicked calls of his den mates in their attempts at calming the Pokémon darting around the room.</p><p>Unfortunately, the Glaceon didn’t heed to their cries as it continued scampering around the contained space. The den was getting colder by the second and it wouldn’t take long before the Pokémon freezes them all, and so, as a last resort, Jongdae shifts back into his creature form and vaults towards the other in an attempt to tackle him.</p><p>Only that he doesn’t know how to tackle and ends up colliding painfully against the Ice-type instead, sending them over the pile of clothes they had in the corner until the Glaceon managed to right himself and pin his adversary to the ground. </p><p>“W-wait, it’s me!” Jongdae cries out, ears straightening in fright as the fox-like Pokémon unhinged his jaw to reveal his pearly-white canines. He shuts his eyes and waits for the inevitable (and literal) frostbite before he hears him draw a sharp intake of breath.</p><p>
  <em> “You…?” </em>
</p><p>The voice was...softer than he expected. Though it had a tinge of Kyungsoo’s tone whenever the owl Pokémon would hum a tune or a piece that Yixing composed out of the blue, it definitely didn’t come from him, or any of his den mates, for that matter.  </p><p>Before he could delve deeper into the light muttering, the weight on his chest slowly disappeared and the Raichu hesitantly opened his eyes to see the Glaceon curiously staring back at his brown orbs with his cyan-blue ones. Suddenly, Jongdae felt breathless. Was this the Glaceon’s hidden attack all along? He had never seen any other Pokémon do this move, but whatever it was, it was super effective.</p><p>He began to feel his heart beat faster the more he got lost in the almond-shaped eyes of the Ice-type and that alone should have made him panic, but strangely enough, what he felt was the complete opposite of that. He felt calm; at ease, somehow. His mind raced to find an answer for this perplexing feeling that he might have skimmed over from his books, but his train of thought was cut off once he heard someone call out his name.</p><p>“‘Dae!” Yixing repeats, “We, uh, we lost you for a bit there, buddy.”</p><p>Once Jongdae finally digested his statement, he abruptly leaps back on his feet with an awkward chuckle, scratching the nape of his neck with his brown nubbin paw. “Sorry, I was just...taken by surprise, that’s all.”</p><p>“We all were!” Jongin responds, “How could you just—just <em> do </em>that?! You could’ve…!”</p><p>The ursine Pokémon immediately trails off once the Glaceon turns his head towards him, making him inch closer to Kyungsoo with a nervous yelp. The blue-furred mammal then returns his gaze back to Jongdae before tilting his head curiously.</p><p>
  <em> “‘Dae?” </em>
</p><p>“Jongdae, actually.” He doesn’t know why the pouches on his cheeks suddenly started sparking, but they were. “Y-you fainted after battling those trainers and their Pokémon and I couldn’t just leave you there, so I used my human form to pick you up and carry you back here and my friend Yixing, the Audino right behind you, healed you and—” Jongdae took a moment to reclaim all the air he spent on that tirade. “Here we are?”</p><p>Having the Glaceon’s confused gaze at him intensified the sparks on his cheeks as he struggled to tame his powers, barely noticing how the other had opened his mouth to speak. </p><p>
  <em> “Minseok.” </em>
</p><p>Now it was Jongdae’s turn to be confused. “I’m sorry?”</p><p><em> “My name is Minseok.” </em> The Glaceon repeats, <em> “Or that’s what my trainer calls me.” </em></p><p>“Trainer?” Kyungsoo’s voice suddenly filled the air, “You have a trainer?”</p><p><em> “I do...” </em> Minseok confirms, though his tone softened at the end of that. <em> “Or at least I did.” </em></p><p>A sharp pain pierced through Jongdae’s chest as soon as he heard the uncertainty in his words. He recalls of the similar tropes in the hundreds of stories he read about trainers leaving their Pokémon for stronger ones, and while it certainly fueled him with anger, hearing about it from someone who had experienced it firsthand had brought a different level of rage from the Raichu.</p><p>They found a loyal partner who is willing to risk hurting themselves and others in the process of fulfilling their unending want to “be the very best that no one ever was”, yet they throw all of that; all of their memories, hardships, experiences, and adventures, just for a stronger, more likable battle ‘Mon. Why would someone battle so hard for such little reward? Why suffer so much for the humans who care so little about them? Why—</p><p>“Jongdae!”</p><p>The orange-furred male plants his tail flat on the ground and feels all the fury building within him instantly vanish, almost as if it was drained from his very system, leaving behind a tingling sensation that he sometimes had when he stays in one position for too long. But apart from the uncomfortable pins and needles, it felt...good.</p><p>It takes him a second more to remember he has company before he glanced towards Minseok and his surprised expression and his den mates who, more or less, had the same emotion showing in their features.</p><p>“That was—you… ‘Dae?” Jongin sputtered, mirroring the same bewildered expression of most of the hybrids in the den.</p><p>Only Yixing’s look was different from the rest, eyes shining with interest at his friend. </p><p>“How peculiar.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Magnet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So you’re <em> not </em>an Elyxian Pokémon?”</p><p>Jongdae didn’t know how Minseok was able to keep his cool when being asked the same question for the fifth time in ten minutes, just in different sentences and with different people, but he did.</p><p>Once again, Minseok only gave a mysterious half-smile to Jongin and replied with, <em> “Who knows?” </em></p><p>It certainly wasn’t helpful, but at least it did its job of silencing them about it for at least five minutes before it was brought up yet again. Kyungsoo had taken out their best berries to eat as Jongdae and Yixing set up the old pamphlet on the ground. It really didn’t need two people to put a large piece of paper on the ground and place books on its corners to keep it in place, but it was definitely a hundred times better than sitting awkwardly with their guest.</p><p>“For the last time, no.” Kyungsoo deadpans, holding the small device away from a reaching bear while balancing a basket of berries at the same time. “This is the only scavenge I’m not letting you touch, Nini.”</p><p>“Did you <em> really </em> scavenge it, though?” Jongin huffs, crossing his arms. “How does one find a <em> cellular device </em>in the streets? It’s even touch-activated!”</p><p>“Easily.” The Datrix responds without missing a beat before pushing the basket towards the other. “You can have this instead, alright?”</p><p>Having forgotten all about the phone, Jongin instantly grabs the basket before plopping himself right next to Jongdae as he shovels mouthfuls at the same time. </p><p>“So you <em> are </em>an Elyxian Po—”</p><p>“Right there.”</p><p>Jongdae felt Minseok shift uncomfortably as Jongin placed a berry juice-covered claw onto the faded map, but he did catch his tail relaxing slightly when Yixing’s question got cut off. He was only a Pokémon like them, after all. He would be really annoyed if he was in Minseok’s fur.</p><p>Focusing back on the map, he saw Jongin take a pen from the side and encircled the large house symbol right in-between the forest and the cluster of houses on the side of the mountain summit, the only symbol connected to the picture of the Glaceon. The bear Pokémon then looks at Jongdae and the latter took it as a sign to read aloud the information written underneath the location.</p><p>“It’s basically a Pokémon Nursery and Sanctuary rolled into one.” Jongdae explains, “They’re mostly for Ice-types, though, even more so for Glaceon.”</p><p>“Nursery? Aren’t those the place where humans take care of Pokémon Eggs for their trainer?”</p><p>“Mostly, yeah.”</p><p>Jongdae glanced back at their guest, who appears to be growing restless on his spot, the small mound of berries before him remaining untouched.</p><p>“I remember close to nothing of the nursery,” Minseok mutters, “I only have memories of my trainer, walking around the region, and the battles I’ve been in.”</p><p>“Sounds like a nightmare to me.” Jongdae comments off-handedly, something he mostly does when he’s in the presence of his friends. Unfortunately this time, a stranger was also present in the den.</p><p>Minseok eyes the half-human curiously before a light suddenly sparks in his eyes. “It’s far from that, actually! We would join tournaments and leagues in different kinds of cities, and every single fight was such a thrilling experience.” He pauses to stand up proudly. “My team and I participated in every local event and won almost all of them.”</p><p>“So you’re a battle ‘Mon?” Jongin questioned.</p><p>“Born and bred to be one.” He nods, “And that’s why I need to get back to that sanctuary and get chosen again by a Pokémon trainer. I couldn’t imagine myself missing an opportunity to fight and show what I can do, you know? ”</p><p>“Funny thing is,” Jongdae scratches the nape of his neck. “I don’t.”</p><p>Minseok tilts his head. “You haven’t been in a battle before?”</p><p>“Nope,” Jongdae shakes his head. “Not willing to be in one either.” </p><p>“You’ve got to be kidding me. Why not? You’re missing out!”</p><p>“Missing out? From what? I’m perfectly content without the guilt of harming anyone.”</p><p>Minseok looks at him as if he had grown two heads. “It—I—you’re serious aren’t you?” He looks at the three hybrids on the other side of the map. “He isn’t serious, is  he?”</p><p>“Jongdae is...unique.” Kyungsoo shrugged.</p><p>“Am I the only one who questions the unethical grounds of battling here?” He fumes, “Yes, we’re all born with a competitive spirit, but spending time hurting others while getting hurt in return? Sounds like a terrible way to waste time.”</p><p>“Is that how low you see us battle ‘Mon?” Minseok scoffs, “Mind you, unlike battles with wild Pokémon, trainer battles are in a controlled setting with both parties consenting to fight. <em> I </em>wouldn’t go into a battle just to harm others.” </p><p>“But still, the question remains. Why?” </p><p>“It...it’s all I’ve ever known, I guess.” Minseok shrugs, “And that’s why I need to get back to this mountain or whatever it is to get chosen by a trainer again. They’re my only ticket to getting into these events.” He looks at Jongdae with his sharp feline-like eyes. “Battles give me a newfound purpose every time I step into the field. The moments I’m showing off what I’ve learned and the skills I’ve honed is always my happiest.”</p><p>“Even if you lose?” Jongdae counters immediately. Minseok opened his mouth to reply but found himself hesitating. At this, the Raichu continues. “Battling is a double-edged sword no matter what angle you look at it. There are other ways you could still achieve the same level of happiness without risking your life for it.”</p><p>Minseok snorts. “Oh yeah? Like what?”</p><p>Riled up from their steaming argument, Jongdae stands up and scurries towards the ever-growing tower of books in his corner of their den, carelessly pulling out a leatherbound compilation of inked pages from the very bottom of the pile, momentarily panicking as the tower wobbled and tilted for a moment. After confirming that his collection will not fall over yet, he bounds over to the group and plops the aging book before the confused, and slightly apprehensive, Glaceon. </p><p>This had been one of the books he knew by heart, and so, despite the large size of the document, it didn’t take long before he reached the page he wanted.</p><p>“Ho-Oh’s feather is said to grant the holders of its happiness.” Jongdae points at the fading, but still visible, cluster of colors in the center of the next page that formed the commodities. “That’s one. Then there’s—”</p><p>“I don’t think a feather could give you eternal happiness, ‘Dae.” Yixing comments, “I think it’s just something the humans created to keep young trainers on their toes.”</p><p>“But it <em> is </em> true and most of these prove it.” He points once again to his collection. “And I’m not going to stop until <em> I </em>prove it myself. If I could just get a chance to meet Ho-Oh, I’ll show you all!”</p><p>“I can take you to Ho-Oh, then.”</p><p>Jongdae barely registered his figure doing a double-take until he fumbled with the document in his hands as he turned to gape at the fox-like ‘Mon sitting primly before him. Had he heard that right?</p><p>“...what?” He couldn’t stop his voice from peaking at the end there, but he was too much in a shock to say anything else.</p><p>“I can take you to them,” Minseok repeats, “<em> If </em>you’ll be my guide to Mt. Tane’s Peak.”</p><p>The Raichu hybrid stares at him incredulously. Of all the responses he had expected, <em> that </em>wasn’t one of them. Sinking back down on the worn pillow that was his seat, Jongdae starts weighing the pros and cons of the very enticing option the battle ‘Mon was dangling before him.</p><p>He <em> could </em>meet the only Pokémon that has the item that could prove his point to all of them in exchange for a bit of map reading and companionship with the Glaceon, but then again, how does he know he’s telling the truth?</p><p>“Could you actually...no way.” Kyungsoo shakes his head, vocalizing his concerns. “Where’s your proof, then? I’m not letting my best friend run off with someone who spits out nothing but Trubbish.”</p><p>“I’ve seen them before.” Minseok pressed. “It was rumored that Ho-Oh always comes at Mt. Tane’s Peak every winter’s full moon. My...trainer and I used to go there every snow season, but...”</p><p>“But?” Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes. “Wait a minute. You’ve never actually <em> seen </em>Ho-Oh, haven’t you?”</p><p>Minseok looks down. “The wild Pokémon didn’t let me because I didn’t have a trainer true of heart and that will only scare Ho-Oh away. I didn’t understand them at that time. Got into a fight with an Apom because of it too.” The Glaceon chuckled dryly. “But guess who had the last laugh.”</p><p>After a prolonged silence, Minseok looks up once again. “I know I don’t have anything on me that could vouch for what I’m saying, but—”</p><p>“‘Xing-hyung.”</p><p>All eyes turned towards Jongin who looked like he had just discovered one of the greatest secrets of the universe. The bear tugs at his friend’s coat excitedly.</p><p>“You could tell if he’s lying or not!”</p><p>A beat passed before a soft “oh” was heard from the Audino before the rest of the hybrids in the den began an uproar of realization and exasperation towards their current situation. Another beat passed by and Yixing was able to apprehensively vouch for Minseok’s statements, which led to Jongdae standing up once again with a determined expression on his face.</p><p>“It’s a deal.” He declares, bending down swiftly to pick up the map and fold it neatly back to its original shape. “I’ll get a feather and show you once and for all that Pokémon fights shouldn’t be the only things keeping a Pokémon happy.” He lifts up the pamphlet above his head excitedly. “It will be the adventure of a lifetime!”</p><p>“This ‘adventure’ of yours spans almost half of Elyxion, ‘Dae.” Jongin chimes in. “The further you’ll go, the more different the Pokémon you’ll meet.”</p><p>“And some of them aren’t exactly friendly, human or not. Believe me, I know.” Kyungsoo adds, “How are you going to hold up then?”</p><p>“By doing what I’ve been doing for the past years.” Jongdae shrugs, “I’ve had a few tricks up my sleeve that never failed me before. Not even once.”</p><p>Before Kyungsoo could counter his statement, Minseok stepped forward.</p><p>“I can protect him.” Minseok states firmly, “It’s the least I can do for my guide.”</p><p>“But will you be enough for both of you?”</p><p>“‘Soo—”</p><p>“I battled for my trainer since birth.”</p><p>“Said trainer also abandoned you for someone stronger.”</p><p>“Kyungsoo!” Jongdae hissed, “I’ve seen what Minseok can do. If he believes that he can protect us both then I believe him too.” His heart clenched for a moment when he took a glance at the Glaceon’s forlorn expression from Kyungsoo’s comment, but like the seasons, it came and went just like that.</p><p>“But ‘Dae—”</p><p>“‘Soo,” Jongdae placed a gentle hand on the winged Pokémon’s shoulder. “I know you care so much for me, and I deeply appreciate it, but we all have to take risks sometimes, right?”</p><p>“You don’t need to endanger yourself, just prove a point.” He deadpans, “This is literally what you’ve been fighting against your whole life.”</p><p>“But ‘Soo!” Jongdae chuckles, pitching his voice into a whine that they all grew to love. “I’m doing this for our sake. It’s different from fighting!”</p><p>Yixing hums from the side. “You’d be surprised to find out that everything in this world is related one way or another.” He shrugs, patting the Raichu’s behind. “And perhaps some things are just more closely connected than others.”</p><p>Jongdae didn’t have time to respond to the Audino’s cryptic comment as he was already barreled into by a wailing Jongin, his cries soon muffled by the elder’s shirt as he buried his face into it as deep as possible. </p><p>“Are you <em> sure </em>you’ll be alright, hyung?” He sniffles, “Mt. Tane’s Peak is so far away and you only have—”</p><p>“It’s fine, Nini. I’m going to be alright.” Jongdae pats the younger’s chocolate-brown hair with a smile, scratching behind one of his rounded ears to ease the tension away from him. “Maybe we’re all just overreacting. I mean, how bad can this be?”</p>
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</div><p>Jongdae hummed contentedly to himself as the swarm of Beedrill immediately recoiled and retreated at the scent of the open tube he was waving around, immediately finishing the battle before it even began. The hybrid glanced back at his companion with a cheeky smirk as he twisted the cap back on the tube, only for him to get an eye roll in return as Minseok relaxed out of his fighting stance.</p><p>“You’ll run out of tricks eventually.” He said, shaking his head. “No decoy or tubed repellant will ever cut it out there.”</p><p>“But we’re already “out there”, aren’t we?” Jongdae replies, “We’ve passed the territory border a couple of days ago.”</p><p>“The world isn’t just a bunch of Beedrill and Rattata, Jongdae,” Minseok said. “There’s going to be a time where we’ll meet a Pokémon that you can’t sway and then what will happen? We need to establish that we’re not weak, but letting other wild Pokémon run away isn’t doing it for us.”</p><p>“You’re just paranoid, Min.” The Raichu waved him off, “So anyway, are we there yet?”</p><p>“You’re my guide, Jongdae. You’re supposed to tell <em> me </em>that.”</p><p>Jongdae stares blankly at his companion for a moment and Minseok swore he sees the cogs whirring in his mind before the former lets out an “ahh” as he finally registered the role he took up a few days ago. He gives an embarrassed chuckle before taking a few more moments to pat the pockets on his vest and pull out the pamphlet map.</p><p>He unfolds it carefully, making sure that not one drop of sweat makes it onto the paper, before placing it down the grass, pressing a finger on a random place a good distance above the red circle that signified the location of their den.</p><p>“Judging by our location, we must be here.” </p><p>“I would say that we’re here.” Minseok chimes in, placing a light-blue paw onto paper that was a few inches below from where Jongdae was pointing at. “We couldn’t have reached that far after a few days of travel.”</p><p>“And who’s the map reader here?” Jongdae huffs, maneuvering himself to sit cross-legged on the floor instead as the heat of exhaustion slowly crept up his legs. “Geez, aren’t you at least worn out after that? I’m beat!”</p><p>“Maybe it’s because of that Golem-sized pack you’re carrying,” Minseok responds, tail flicking behind him. “But that’s just a wild guess, of course.”</p><p>Jongdae glared at the Pokémon as he placed the backpack down and leaned it against a tree. “Haha, very funny. Mind you, I have everything we need right in here.”</p><p>“What’s even <em> in </em>there?” The other Pokémon questions, taking a whiff in the direction of the pack. “Smells like nothing but human Trubbish to me.”</p><p>“They are <em> not! </em>” Jongdae was quick to defend his bag. “They’re all essential for our travel, look.”</p><p>Minseok could only stare at the other in wonder as he began pulling out different commodities from the bulky pack, some of which he was familiar with from past encounters or sightings of the items, but most of them just looked more of a liability than an asset.</p><p>“And lastly, about half a dozen clothes.” Jongdae finished, tilting the bag to let Minseok peek inside to see the bundle of multicolored fabric all clumped together at the very bottom. “I packed some for you in case you ever want to transform into your human form.”</p><p>“Pass.” Minseok replied, “And like I said, nothing but Trubbish. You wouldn’t need all of this if you would just be in your other form.”</p><p>Jongdae blanched at his words. “I still would!”</p><p>Minseok observes him for a few more seconds before turning away, taking a few moments to stretch his limbs before settling down on a soft grassy patch.</p><p>“The Beauty Trainers will <em> love </em>to have a pampered one like you.” Minseok rolls his eyes before glancing at him with a challenging look. “I bet you can’t even run more than a mile straight.”</p><p>The Raichu hybrid narrowed his eyes. “Just because I like to take care of myself doesn’t mean I can’t do something as simple as that.”</p><p>“Is that so?” Minseok chose to ignore the subtle jab and raised his nose up in the air as he took deep inhales. Jongdae watched the Glaceon continue his actions until he stopped his head to the left. “There’s a berry bush nearby, practically covered with berries by the smell of it.” He turns back to Jongdae with a smirk gracing his features. “Actions speak louder than words, Sparks.”</p><p>“What’s with the nick—Whatever, what do you want me to do?” Jongdae huffed, “Race you there?”</p><p>Minseok’s grin only widened before he dashed off to the East of the clearing, kicking back a small flurry cloud that made the other squeal and move away from his spot to try and escape the frigid temperature. Once he recovered, Jongdae didn’t even hesitate before running after the Glaceon, slowly changing his form until his furry orange and black figure remained, shirt tied on his waist once again as he scurried through the vegetation on all fours.</p><p>“Get ready to eat your words!”</p><p>With what Jongdae lacked in the control of his abilities, he made up for in speed and agility, but that was almost a given considering that it was his only alternative when the rare moment of his tricks failing arises. He could outrun a Rapidash if he really wanted to, his short and quick bounds matching equally with the speedy pyro-horse’s gallops, which is why it didn’t take long before he caught up to the Glaceon.</p><p>The light-blue streak zooming ahead of him stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the Autumn colors of their environment, but Jongdae was much more focused on the very potent scent of the sweetness in the air. Minseok wasn’t joking when he said that this bush must be loaded with berries galore, but the more he neared their destination, he began to pick up another scent.</p><p>Muffled was the best term he could describe how he was perceiving this strange smell, almost like cotton was covering the inside of his nostrils. But despite how faint it was, it was still there, lingering like a Ghost-type floating around in a graveyard.</p><p>“Glad to see you catching up.”</p><p>Jongdae turns his focus away from the scent and towards his right, where the grin Minseok was sporting was the first thing he sees. He didn’t look remotely out of breath given how fast they were going, but being a battle ‘Mon, things like these must be a piece of cake for the Glaceon. Still, his previous taunts at Jongdae was enough to spark his determination to beat the icy menace.</p><p>“You could understand me, right?” He hears Minseok ask, the slight pitch in his tone indicating his teasing manner, “Come on, where’s the chatterbox from before?” </p><p>“Right here, Snowflake.” Jongdae gave a smirk of his own when the other Pokémon’s features soured at the nickname. “And he’s about to turn up the heat!”</p><p>He reared back for a split-second before vaulting forward within the same beat, giving himself a lead that Minseok hadn’t expected. Hearing the Glaceon growl in irritation fanned the newly-sparked flames of competitiveness inside the Raichu as he zeroed in where the finish was and shifted his bounding into a full-on sprint.</p><p>Jongdae twisted an ear behind him to pin-point how far Minseok was from him, only for it to fall under relative silence with the wind being the only one whistling in his ears. But while the unusual result sparked a bout of concern towards the other, his focus was disrupted when he broke through some thickets and into a shaded clearing where he found himself colliding into a small hill of...berries?</p><p>The impact was enough to stop his momentum and knock him out of his balance,  only giving him enough time to twist his tail out of the way before he crashed down onto the grass. The potent smell of berries definitely came from here, but when Jongdae opened his eyes, he only saw the destroyed pile of the juicy drupes, not one bush in sight.</p><p>Jongdae furrowed his brows, suppressing a groan as the pain from the crash slowly dulled into numbness before he stood up and surveyed the area. Seeing a phenomenon like this so out in the open brought another wave of concern in his system, and with the current absence of his companion, it only heightened into a mild panic.</p><p>Perhaps the Glaceon was playing tricks on him? “Oh Minseok, look who’s here first~” He singsongs, trying to ease himself with some one-sided banter. “You don’t need to be a bad sport about it. Just come out and—”</p><p>A piercing sound suddenly rings through the clearing before Jongdae was swept off his feet, a strange combination of metal wiring and twine constricting his entire figure and bringing him to the ground once again, but this time, he couldn’t seem to get up. </p><p>The more he struggled, the tighter the binds became, almost as if it was the scaly elongated body of an Ekans was constricting him instead of...whatever this was. Jongdae unsheathed his claws as a last resort and started vigorously pawing at the net-like constraints<b>, </b>but he soon realized that it was all for naught when his nails only slid off the netted surface.</p><p>“Look, we got it!”</p><p>Not before long, unfamiliar voices started to rise in volume as the muffled scent revealed itself to the Pokémon. The sick feeling of panic starts to burn in Jongdae’s chest similar to how the smell of sweat and cloth penetrated his sensitive nose. What kind of trainer would use net-like devices instead of Pokéballs?! Unless…</p><p> </p><p>They’re not trainers.</p><p> </p><p>“A Raichu? I can’t believe it!” The same nasally, high-pitched voice from before exclaims. “This idiot’s gonna be worth a fortune in the market. We could get a raise from the boss!”</p><p>“How much do you think he’ll be worth?” A dopey voice chimes in, sounding as clear as the sky in a storm in Jongdae’s ears that he had to strain his ears to listen in to his response. “A couple hundred?”</p><p>“At least a million if it’s one of those special ones.” The first voice replied, “Elyxion is known to have these little beasts turn into humans and vice versa. Now <em> that </em>will land us a top spot in the organization.”</p><p>Jongdae drowns out their shrill Poochyena-like laughs in favor of attempting to shift away from them, only to get lifted up by the knot at the end of his restraints.</p><p>Despite having his entire figure hanging upside-down from the man’s clutches, Jongdae felt his stomach drop to his bound feet at the sight of the man’s face so close to his.</p><p>“Hello, little one.” The man grinned, showing off his broken and yellowed teeth. “Let’s get you to your new home, shall we?”</p><p>Eyes widening, Jongdae started struggling in the net as he racked his head for his countless tricks that never failed to free him from the troublesome situations he managed to get himself into, but he found himself drawing a blank in this one. This was different; way out of his comfort zone that he never even <em> imagined </em>that this would happen, but unfortunately, it did.</p><p>“What the-? Stop that!” The man snarled, moving his arm around to roughly shake the Pokémon along with its struggling. “You’re never gonna get out of this one. It’s designed by yours truly, of course, <em> and </em>it’s Red Force approved!”</p><p>Red Force? </p><p>Jongdae squints. He remembers Kyungsoo or Jongin mentioning that name once or twice in a past conversation, but his mind was starting to turn into mush from all the movement the jostling the man was doing. He only recalls them as a Pokémon trafficking group that migrated from another region to here, but he was so close to passing out just to get away from all of this that he couldn’t think of anything else apart from that.</p><p>This was it, then. It’s been only a few days since their travel began yet he managed to dig himself an early grave. He should’ve never—</p><p>A howl pierced through his dazed state before he suddenly found himself back on the soft grass, the dirt soil pressing against his cheek as he watched as chilly mist began to envelop his figure. Could this be a sign that he’ll be passing on soon, or perhaps, it was something - or rather, <em> someone </em> - else?</p><p>“Jongdae? ‘Dae?”</p><p>The Raichu jolts as a chill snout brushed over his ear, humming contentedly as the cool sensation spread over the top of his head and eased the headache he was nursing a little. Not even a moment later, two concerned eyes peeked into his peripheral.</p><p>“I’m so sorry Dae, I didn’t think it was a trap, and I—”</p><p>The mist cloaking the two Pokémon was suddenly blown away by a strong gust of wind, the culprit flying just above the two men who were a good distance away from them, the Golbat showing off its four teeth that were each on a corner of his mouth before giving an assertive screech at the two as it flapped its purple webby wings proudly. </p><p>Minseok returned the cry with a growl of his own before sending out a frigid beam towards it, hitting the bat-like Pokémon straight on and encasing it in ice, much to the surprise and awe of everyone watching.</p><p>“What is this?” The dopey man tilted his head in confusion. “I thought they’re all found in that mountain?”</p><p>“Bah, don’t you see how lucky we are? The boss needs Pokémon like that for his next plan!” His partner exclaims, pointing towards Minseok. “Arbok, use Wrap!”</p><p>But before Minseok could even let out a snarl, a mauve tail shot out from the side and had almost snatched the Ice-type from the ground if it weren’t for the man’s command ruining the element of surprise. The cobra-like Pokémon slithered towards Minseok with intent and the two had begun their clash.</p><p>With a much clearer mind, Jongdae watched the two Pokémon exchange attack after attack successively, not giving time for the other to fully recover from the assault before sending another wave.</p><p>“Sparks! A little help-” Minseok paused momentarily to duck away from his opponent’s fangs. “-here! Use your abilities!”</p><p>“I can’t! I...” Jongdae shuts his eyes in shame. “I don’t know how!”</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>A chilly feeling spread over his side for a moment before he felt the net loosening away from his figure. Opening one eye to peek at the phenomenon, Jongdae soon found ice crystals in place of a part of his restraints before he shimmied out of it. A perplexed Minseok was standing beside him, eyeing the Arbok whose tail he managed to freeze on the side of a tree’s trunk before turning back to his companion.</p><p>“You can’t—what?” He shook his head in disbelief. “An Electric-type who can’t use electricity. Now I’ve heard of everything.”</p><p>“Shut up! It’s not like I needed it back in our territory.”</p><p>“Yet you needed it now.” Minseok snaps, “I get that you can’t fight, but use your abilities? You’re really willing to do anything just to prove yourself right to your peers, don’t you?”</p><p>Just before Jongdae could respond with a reply of his own, a blur of purple suddenly knocked into both of them. The Raichu stumbled backwards for a moment until he managed to right himself with his tail, but his balance was the least of his concerns when the Arbok was right in front of them, eyeing the two Pokémon with rapt interest. </p><p>But after a moment of hesitation, he raised his paw to stop the growling Minseok from pouncing at their opponent before clasping his forepaws together.</p><p>“Hello! I’m Jongdae and this is Minseok.” He introduced himself to the hissing Pokémon. “I’ve never met an Arbok before but-”</p><p>“What are you doing?!” </p><p>“-I’m sure you’re just as charming as all that I’ve read.” Jongdae ignored the panicked whisper the other gave in favor of hesitantly taking a step towards the confused Pokémon. “Look...”</p><p>The Arbok stayed silent, but it started lowering its wide head in return. Jongdae immediately brightened at this before taking an enthusiastic step forward, turning back to Minseok with a victorious grin.</p><p>“See? I told you I can do it!”</p><p>Minseok frowned at his method, as per usual, but then a wave of panic washed over his features that Jongdae barely spots just as he turned back towards the Arbok, and seeing the two pearly-white fangs gleaming at him just inches away from his figure had rendered him frozen like a Deerling in headlights.</p><p>But as Lady Luck would have had it, a sharp tug on his tail pulled him back just enough so that the Arbok sunk his teeth into the air instead of his skull. Jongdae swore he saw his life flash before his eyes as he roughly landed on his behind, but like a strike of lightning in a storm, the Arbok didn’t waste any more time and striked again. </p><p>Jongdae, in an act of impulse, barely had the time to jump and evade the attack, but what he didn’t foresee was the trajectory in which he had set for himself and had managed to land directly on the Arbok’s scaly back.</p><p>Jongdae’s mind whirred relentlessly from the adrenaline that was shot in his system as he gripped the cobra’s sides as if his life depended on it, which it really did, but he chose to focus on keeping himself on the Pokémon instead of what would happen <em>if </em>he was flung off of it.</p><p>“Now’s your chance!” He hears Minseok call out to him. “Try and zap it. Shock it!”</p><p>Jongdae clings tightly on the slithering Pokémon before shaking his head. “I’m telling you, I just can’t!”</p><p>Flicking his ears, the Electric-type hears Minseok mutter something else before it fades a few seconds later. He tries to find Minseok once more, but apart from the whistling wind and the outcries of the men in the distance, there was nothing that pointed towards the Glaceon. Had he finally realized how much of a liability his companion was and turned tail out of the clearing?</p><p>Before Jongdae could answer that himself, he felt his grip on the snake weakening before he was tossed to the side by a powerful buck from the Arbok, sending him back on the ground once more in a daze. </p><p>The violet Poison-type loomed over his weakening figure as its fangs gleamed a menacing glow akin to its color, ready to pierce it through his skin and end his stream of consciousness. But before it could do so, something flashed in the distance, rivaling the glimmer of the Arbok’s fangs with its own shade of cyan blue before it sinks into the scaly body of the Pokémon. </p><p>A beat passed, then another, then another.</p><p>Then the Arbok tilts and faints on its side.</p><p>Jongdae wasn’t able to see the bewildered expressions of the men before he felt himself get pulled out of the clearing, the two humans’ curses and cries echoing in the forest until they had run far enough to hear nothing but their labored breathing.</p>
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</div><p>Jongdae dragged his tail behind him silently, bending down to pick up the sodden vest lying pitifully on the ground. Taking out the crumpled pamphlet from its pocket, he smoothed it out with his stubby brown paws and stared blankly at the faded title. </p><p>“So...”</p><p>Looking up from the pamphlet, Jongdae eyes the mask of indifference Minseok had put up. The Raichu was the first one to avert his gaze as he ducked his head down, opting to wear the now-oversized vest before shuffling quietly toward the Glaceon. The two Pokémon continued their trek back to their camp in relative silence until Minseok spoke up.</p><p>“You’ve never used your abilities before?”</p><p>Jongdae winced at the bluntness of his words. “Yeah.”</p><p>“But what about your outburst from when we first met?” Minseok questions, “With a powerful voltage like that, I assumed you’ve done that before.”</p><p>“I was just as surprised as you were. It was the first time I felt something like that and it felt...exhilarating.”</p><p>That may even be an understatement to what Jongdae had felt days prior. No words could ever compare to what he had felt when sparks just burst from his core and spread through his entire system, lighting up every single inch of his skin in light tingles before it was directed down to the bottom half of his figure then towards his tail. </p><p>For the moment the electrical discharge happened, he felt invincible, powerful...addicted. And that’s what he had feared the most.</p><p>“—head?”</p><p>Jongdae was pulled out of his thoughts with a jump, turning to Minseok who mirrored his expression with an undertone of concern that was seen from the slight furrow of his eyebrows. Nonetheless, the Glaceon repeats his question.</p><p>“I asked how’s your head?”</p><p>“It’s seen better days, but it’s nothing too severe.” He replies, raising his stubby paw to feel for any bumps along his head before wincing once more when he brushes over one. Once he sprays on a Potion from his stash, he’ll be good as new, right?</p><p>Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for their camp.</p><p>The moment he saw the unfavorable fate their camp had gone through, Jongdae felt numb. </p><p>To say that the place had been tampered with was an understatement. His overturned pack was ripped to shreds, its contents were strewn about on the floor, or hanging precariously on the vines and branches of the trees surrounding them. Every edible thing was either missing or reduced to crumbs and the rest was tossed everywhere. </p><p>Jongdae watched in stunned silence as one of the objects fell down from its branch, rolling on the ground until it stopped by his brown feet. It was the tube of repellant that he used to scare off the Beedrill, now empty with bite marks lining the edges and the cap missing. The very presence of it mocked Jongdae, for as battered as it was now, it didn’t hold a candle to the damage everything else had faced.</p><p>“What happened…?” Minseok muttered, lightly placing his paw on one of the torn guidebooks Jongdae had packed.</p><p>Tilted his head up to take a whiff of their surroundings, the first scent he noticed was a variety of wild Pokémon that had come and gone from the clearing and had no doubt played with whatever was present before them. Coupled with the residual string that came from a caterpillar Pokémon, Minseok was about to report his findings to his companion when he spotted him by the edge of the main wreckage, staring blankly at something on the ground.</p><p>Upon closer inspection, Minseok sees the shoe tracks pointed towards the direction of the pack.</p><p>“Trainers.” Was the only thing he managed to murmur.</p><p>Jongdae sat down with a sigh, ears drooping from his head. Nonetheless of who or what had raided their camp, everything was still wrecked, and his ignorance was the one to blame.</p><p>Not even the prolonged ache of his tense paws and clenched fists could fight off the numbness spreading through his system and stop the tears from pricking the corner of his eyes. Was he angry? Annoyed? Disappointed? At this point, he just felt drained. He tried to wipe at his eyes with a trembling arm, but that only broke the dam that led to a sob.</p><p>As if the scene before him wasn’t enough, the event from earlier struck his mind like a perfectly placed attack, forcing him to remember the bitter memory with perfect recall. He must have looked stupid to have just walked towards that Arbok, presenting himself with no means of defending himself from an attack that would have occurred. </p><p>Two hours ago, he would have reasoned that in order to prevent the other from being alarmed, he would have to look harmless, but seeing it from another perspective, that just might be what the snake was looking for. He had witnessed firsthand the loyalty of a battle ‘Mon towards its trainer, and that might have been the mistake that would have cost his life.</p><p>“Hey.”</p><p>Glancing up, Jongdae spots Minseok looking over at him, a neat pile of different fabrics and clothes laid beside him. He would normally be peeved at the sight of them laying on the dirty floor, but even if a flaming bug-like Volcarona would appear right at that moment and burn all of it to a crisp, he couldn’t find it in himself to care anymore.</p><p>He gathered up all his remaining energy to drag himself towards the little nest before collapsing just at the edge of it, settling in a way that half his body was on the pile while the other half was on the grass. Jongdae could hear Minseok huff before the Glaceon walked around his creation to sit before the miserable Pokémon.</p><p>“I know that this day has been less than...favorable to us.” Jongdae could only grunt at this. “But tomorrow is another day, and we shouldn’t waste it by mourning something like this. Believe me, you’ll regret it more by doing so than actually losing our supplies.”</p><p>Jongdae sniffled, raising his head to look at the other with a blurred vision and Minseok suddenly faltered in his actions. Minseok thought he had seen every single emotion from his companion in just the span of the few days they had been together, but he had completely disregarded what was on the other side of the spectrum.</p><p>Shaking his head to remove his thoughts, Minseok opted to creep towards the somber Electric-type before using his forepaws to push the rest of his body onto the nest he made.</p><p>“We’re Pokémon, ‘Dae.” He said, “It’s all about learning to pick ourselves back up when we faint. Then we learn to adapt and to every single thing thrown at us. Sure it’s led to us fighting one way or another, but that doesn’t mean we liked harming other Pokémon. It’s all in a matter of survival.”</p><p>After a few more gentle nudges, Jongdae rolled his orange-furred figure onto the nest in his own accord leaving Minseok to settle on the empty space beside him. But just as the Glaceon was about to make like a Drowzee and doze off into dreamland, he felt Jongdae shift beside him before he spoke. </p><p>“Fine.” He said, “I’ll give it a try.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Dire Hit</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The two Pokémon hybrids woke up before the break of dawn and salvaged what they could in the mess that was previously Jongdae’s bag and its contents. The Raichu could feel the bitterness linger in his core like a bothersome band of Ghastly, but thankfully enough, it wasn’t as potent as before. </p><p>Jongdae helped Minseok weave a smaller bag out of the vines and strips of cloth before placing everything they found useful inside. And just as the sun began to peek over the horizon, they had set off towards their destination in their true forms.</p><p>And once again, Jongdae found himself in the company of his thoughts.</p><p>Had Minseok remembered his decision yesternight? Had he even <em> heard </em>it? Jongdae began wondering if he should open it up once more somewhere between sunrise and midday, but he Tor-chickened out last minute, hoping that the self-disappointment that translated into his slightly sluggish steps went unnoticed by the Ice-type.</p><p> After a few more hours of nothing but nonstop promenading through the trees and vegetation at a steady pace, Jongdae just finished folding up their map when he sees Minseok pick up a small but thick piece of wood from the ground. Tucking the pamphlet in his vest, he curiously watched as Minseok drew a wobbly line that spanned a good distance around them until it returned to where it began, forming an oblong-ish circle.</p><p>“Alright, lesson one.”</p><p>Jongdae’s confusion turned into surprise. “You heard me?”</p><p> A pointed look was Minseok’s only reply before he tapped the Raichu’s feet with his tail. “Spread these apart and put your non-dominant foot back. The same goes if you’re on all fours.”</p><p>It took Jongdae another tap on the foot for him to digest his instructions and follow-through, albeit hesitantly. Looking down, he tries to balance himself on his new stance with much effort. The Raichu huffs before looking back up to shoot his companion a questioning glance.</p><p>“What then—oof!”</p><p>Jongdae immediately stumbles backward after a cold projectile had found its target on his face, the poor Pokémon sputtering for a few times before falling on his back with a screech when another one of the frigid devils landed on his side. Jongdae shivered, cracking his eyes open into small slits to glare at the sitting Glaceon in front of him, an aura of faux-innocence surrounding him like a light mist.</p><p>“I figured that I’d scare you off if we start with the basic training right away, so...” Minseok nods his head once before a snowball flies straight towards Jongdae once again, to which the latter reacts a second too late and gets another faceful of it in return. “How about we play a little game first?”</p><p>This “little game” of theirs ended up spanning for almost a week in different locations as they continued their travels in the morning and their drills late in the afternoon, with Jongdae ending up with numb paws for most of the nights and a frozen tail on one occasion (He still hasn’t forgiven Minseok for that). </p><p>Still, despite the stuffy nose and the constant icicles forming on his whiskers, Jongdae could already see the snippets of improvement in just a few weeks since they kicked off their training. </p><p>But above all else, he seemed to have garnered a newfound respect for his companion for putting up with his below-par behind effortlessly. Sure he wasn’t the most patient of Pokémon, nor one who would ever run out of counters to Jongdae’s complaints, but Minseok had this certain charm that compelled him more than he would admit. Thus, Jongdae reaped a mutual liking to the Glaceon.</p><p>Or perhaps something more.</p><p>Not before long, their sessions slowly transitioned to basic strikes that do more hindering than harming to their opponents and grants them just enough time for them to get away. And while that proved to be more challenging than dodging, Jongdae got the gist of it in a few days, much to both of their surprise.</p><p> “See? You’re a natural!”</p><p>Jongdae glanced at the snow dummy he accidentally decimated on the ground and found it hard to suppress a wince. A wave of conflicting emotions washed over him for a moment before he turned away from the melting blob, opting to focus on his mentor who seemed to be more lively than before. </p><p>The crescent orbs of the grinning Pokémon captivated Jongdae for a bit longer than necessary, but thankfully, his training didn’t go for naught when he was able to swerve away from an incoming snowball.</p><p>“Alright, now that the physical aspect is over, it’s time to get to the good part!”</p><p>Before Jongdae could comprehend what was happening, the temperature suddenly dropped as an opaque mist permeated through the area and rendered the Raichu frozen, literally. He didn’t have time to even try and move his shaking limbs before he was knocked down by a weight that stayed on his chest. </p><p>Squinting his eyes, Jongdae can see two icy-blue orbs shining through the fog before he felt the other chuckle.</p><p>“Now that’s a new one.” He wheezed out.</p><p>“What can I say? I’m an exceptional ‘Mon, after all.” Minseok exaggerated his accent and chuckled at his own bit before drumming his paws happily on his companion’s chest. “I think this is your cue, ‘Dae! I just know you’ve got it in you.”</p><p>“If you’re talking about my spark, tough luck.” Jongdae pushed against Minseok’s hold. “I’m still not feeling it.”</p><p>“Hmm, that’s weird.” Minseok murmurs, releasing his grip on the other. “Usually newly-hatched Pokémon can use their abilities once they’re trained enough. Maybe we’re doing it wrong?”</p><p>“I think knowing how to properly Headbutt and Scratch is enough for me.” Jongdae sat up with a groan. “I could defend myself just fine with them.”</p><p>“But stopping there just isn’t right.” Minseok huffs, circling around in place before whipping his head towards the other. “I know!”</p><p>And just like that, the mist surrounded them dissipated as if it wasn’t there. Minseok ran to the other side of the clearing they were in before assuming a fighting stance, tail raised and head bowed in a way that his mischievous eyes were slightly hidden under his cyan crest on his forehead, giving off an illusion that he was shooting an intimidating glare.</p><p> “You’ve been dancing with frozen statues for the past weeks, ‘Dae!” He shouts excitedly, “Now it’s time for the real deal!”</p><p>Jongdae was alarmed. “You want me to fight you?!”</p><p>“It’s the only logical way you can achieve your abilities,” Minseok purrs, “Up you go now! I would like a fair fight.”</p><p>“But <em> I </em> don’t like <em> to </em>fight! Haven’t we established that since day one?” Jongdae whines, sluggishly getting back on his feet in fear of the Glaceon charging at him again without giving him any time to react. “I only agreed to this to learn how to defend myself!”</p><p>“Nothing teaches us better than our own experiences, right?”</p><p>“Getting frozen by you is an experience alright.”</p><p>“Here I go!”</p><p>“Wait what—”</p><p>And with that,  Minseok gave a warning growl and sprinted towards him at full speed, the abruptness and his icy aura mixing together into a terrifying concoction that prompted Jongdae to react on instinct and swerve out of the way. And thus, the unofficial clash began, much to Jongdae’s chagrin. </p><p>While Minseok liked to use all his advantages and hit hard, Jongdae reverted into a more calculated approach to balance out the Glaceon’s brute force, using his mastered agility to leap or roll out of the way just before Minseok lunged at where he was moments before like a Tauros seeing red. Unfortunately, the Glaceon was beginning to get annoyed from the fight, or a lack thereof.</p><p>“Not bad.” Minseok paused to frown at another one of his attacks missing his target. “Would be better if you could actually <em> hit </em>me.”</p><p>“Funny, I was just  about to say the same thing.” Jongdae abandoned all his whining to give a lopsided smile despite knowing it will only rile up the other.</p><p>He knew that teasing the powerful Ice-type was going to be a death sentence for him, but seeing the half-amused, half-agitated chuckle Minseok let out was enough to encourage the chatterbox in him. Abilities be damned, <em> this </em>was his weapon.</p><p>Minseok smirked, “Getting brave, I see.”</p><p>“Learned it all from the best.” Jondgae shrugged, ducking just in time to avoid the subzero breeze.</p><p>“Compliments won’t help you win in battles like these, ‘Dae.”</p><p>“Who said I was talking about you?” The Raichu tried his best to keep his expression neutral at the priceless reaction that was Minseok’s disbelief.  “Bob the snowman was an excellent teacher.”</p><p>“Bob?” Minseok stuttered in his movements before Jongdae’s statement finally sunk in his mind. “Wait, you <em> named </em>the ice statues?”</p><p>“Every single one of them.” Jongdae replied, “What can I say? I get attached quickly.”</p><p>“You’re a lot more morbid than I give you credit for.” Minseok scoffed, “But an orange-furred fibber too. You weren’t that attached to me at first, were you?”</p><p>“It’s just like what you said,” Jongdae replied with the same smirk he saw from the other just mere minutes ago. “You’re an exception...al ‘Mon, that is.”</p><p>Minseok scrunched his nose in distaste, howling once more before another misty fog had settled in the clearing and Jongdae was left all on his own.</p><p>“Now ain’t this original?”</p><p>He was able to adapt enough to the frigidness and move around a bit, but he knows exactly how this clash would end. He didn’t have the advantage anymore, or at all in all honesty, but he hopes to get at least one more go at his opponent before he inevitably gets crushed under his small cyan paws.</p><p>“For a battle ‘Mon, your—”</p><p>But just as he was about to turn around, he felt a weight collide with his side and send him off-balance, a prickling sensation suddenly appearing from where the hit was. He could hear the wind whistling in his ears as both him and his perpetrator rolled continuously down a slope and back to solid ground, but unfortunately for him, the incline wasn’t enough to turn the tables as the Raichu landed on his back with a thump, the Glaceon standing proudly above him once more.</p><p>Jongdae barely got a glimpse of his companion’s spiky fur on his back before Minseok leaned toward him until the tips of their noses touched. If the ambush hadn’t completely taken his breath away, the Glaceon’s icy orbs shining against his own certainly did. </p><p>A jittery feeling bloomed from Jongdae’s belly as he got lost in the bright sea of blue and he absentmindedly hopes that it wasn’t from the fall. But before he could explore the foreign feeling longer, Minseok opened his mouth and giggled at what could possibly be the most dumbfounded expression he had put on.</p><p>“Signature Move.” Minseok smiles, and Jongdae felt like he was melting under the Ice-type. “What’s the matter? Meowth got your tong—”</p><p> </p><p>“Trainers one and all! Do you have what it takes to become one of Elyxion’s league champions?”</p><p>The foreign voice echoed through the forest and steered the two Pokémon from their clash to wherever that announcement came from. Jongdae’s brown orbs came in contact with Minseok’s for a few seconds too long before the Glaceon hopped off the Electric-type with a yelp, muttering apologies as he helped his companion get back on his feet.</p><p>For once, Jongdae was thankful that his true form had hidden the blush that dusted his cheeks underneath his orange fur. </p><p>Now that they got their bearings on their surroundings, they began to take in the large skyscrapers towering over in the horizon, colorful signs barely peeking out from the throngs of trees that dotted the area. Jongdae heard Minseok gasp before he darts towards the strange place, leaving Jongdae to follow behind in confusion, having just a vague idea of where they were going.</p><p>Jongdae had read about a place that was called a “city”, and this location had also been present on the map, but the illustration about it was too small that there was a very low chance of them encountering such a place, yet here they are. They either had miscalculated their path or the map was terribly outdated, but regardless, Jongdae felt the excitement course through his veins as he would finally see the location with his own eyes.</p><p>“By the way, I loved the spark earlier.” He hears Minseok compliment from beside him and Jongdae trips on a root, “I knew you had it in you!”</p><p>Jongdae tilts his head as he steadied his pace once more. “Spark?”</p><p>“Yeah! It made me leap off of you when I got you pinned, remember?” Minseok hums, “Funny how it struck my core first, though.”</p><p>Jongdae slowed his sprint into a canter as he stayed silent at the Glaceon’s comment, feeling a touch of pink burn on his face again as he watched as Minseok gracefully bound through two berry bushes. Such a funny spark indeed.</p><p></p><div class="center">
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</div><p>“I look ridiculous.”</p><p>
  <em> “I think you look cute.” </em>
</p><p>For once in that afternoon, Jongdae felt relieved that his face was hidden underneath the big witch’s hat that they haphazardly snatched from one of the empty tents in a nearby campsite. </p><p>Nothing had ever irritated him the way the deep purple clashed with his carrot-colored hair whenever a tuft would peek out, but as much as he would have liked chucking the foul thing into a nearby river, he was thankful he had the wide brim hide his brightening cheeks away from the other’s sharp eyes and even sharper tongue.</p><p>Oh, and he also needs to hide his ears.</p><p>“Why are we doing this again?” Jongdae whines, tilting his head upward the moment the hat starts slipping into his eyes again. “Couldn’t we just run around the city in our Poké-forms?”</p><p><em> “We’re standing right before Megalo City, ‘Dae. This is the place for trainers!” </em> Minseok tugged playfully at the laces of his companion’s boots with his paws before the other swats him away. <em> “I’m sure that once they realize that we’re not someone’s Pokémon, we’ll have a crowd of B.O-smelling pre-teens and a barrage of Pokéballs coming our way in no time.” </em></p><p>“But why do <em> I </em> have to be the trainer?” He huffed, “You have your own hybrid form, don’t you?”</p><p><em> “Maybe,” </em> Minseok gave his signature grin. <em> “But I think you’d be better at walking with two legs. I’d forgotten what it felt like, to be honest.” </em></p><p>“So you <em> had </em>transformed before!” Jongdae exclaims, “And here I thought you’re a plain, old Glaceon.”</p><p>
  <em> “Who’re you calling old?!” </em>
</p><p>Jongdae scurries away just in time to evade the flurry of snow that blew through where he was just moments ago, stumbling on the long fabric of the robe that came with the hat before he balled his fists on them and lifted them up in his attempt to get away from the livid Ice-type. </p><p>His balance nearly became nonexistent for the few seconds as his tail was pinned to his back, courtesy of the robe, but that didn’t stop him from zigzagging through the vegetation and Minseok’s icy spheres while laughing his head off at the strange insults the Glaceon threw his way. If Jongdae wasn’t currently running for his life, being called a “wonky-footed battery pack” was enough to send him to the floor.</p><p>But in their little game, they failed to realize that they had already broken through the tree line until Jongdae collided with a rather long metal pole that was stuck to the ground by something akin to stone, albeit smoother.</p><p>“Oh my Arceus! Are you alright?”</p><p>Despite the pounding of his head and his ringing ears from the crash, Jongdae could definitely tell that the voice was <em> not </em>Minseok’s. Cold dread seeps into his system despite the words and the voice itself being non-threatening, but a beat or two later, he feels himself ease up the moment he hears a familiar growl near where he was.</p><p>“Woah, buddy. Are you his Pokémon?” The voice says, slowly decreasing in volume as they back away, or that’s at least what Jongdae hopes. “I’m just trying to see if this fella’s dead.”</p><p>Another warning growl rips out of Minseok’s throat before a different, more guttural one rivals him, and Jongdae has to pry his eyes open and take the cyan quadruped in his arms before the latter launches himself towards whatever creature had made that terrifying sound.</p><p>The sudden light blinds his eyes for a moment before they are met with the flaming-red orbs of a Pokémon he didn’t recognize, yet its large charcoal-furred build and even larger yellow and crimson mane drove him over the edge of his fight-or-flight instinct.</p><p>Jongdae barely had the time to release a strangled scream before he clutched Minseok tightly in his arms, trying his best not to let go of the wriggling Pokémon as he tried to escape from the potential Fire-type by worming his way on the concrete.</p><p>“‘Yeol! I told you to stop scaring people off.” </p><p>A hand suddenly pushed away the Pokémon’s, ‘Yeol’s, face before a boy, who looked to be just about touching his twenties and the owner of the hand, came and helped the distressed Jongdae back up on his feet.</p><p>“I’m sorry about my Pyroar. He can be a little...protective.” The boy began, “But ‘Yeol can be a real sweetheart when he wants to. If you ask me, he’s just a big and fluffy firestarter!”</p><p>A moment passed with Jongdae staring at the boy and he knew he had to put something in the conversation he had been forced into, but he was just too confused to digest everything that was currently happening. The boy must have sensed his inner turmoil as he chuckled nervously.</p><p>“Oh! I forgot. I’m Byun Baekhyun from Lumos City and this is my partner ‘Yeol!” He takes Jongdae’s limp hand before shaking it excitedly. “We just saw you exit the bushes and crash into that lamp post and I, well, <em> we </em>just wanted to see if you’re okay.”</p><p>It took Jongdae another moment (and a jab from Minseok) to finally respond to the boy, but not before sending a pleading look at his companion. “Well, I’m alright now.” <em> Okay, now just introduce yourself. </em>“I-I’m Jo—Chen from, uh...somewhere. And this is my companion Mi—Xiumin.”</p><p>Jongdae feels Minseok burrow inside the thick fabric that was his robe to hide from the second-hand embarrassment he must be experiencing throughout this whole ordeal. Fortunately enough, Baekhyun didn’t seem to be disturbed by his awkwardness as he gave a small grin.</p><p>“Well, Chen from ‘Somewhere’, I hope you’ve prepared well for this season’s event.” He said, “I heard that Megalo City’s leagues are some of the best in the region! Even some gym leaders are participating!”</p><p>And just like before, Jongdae feels lost. “What?”</p><p>“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Chen! The Winter League’s going to happen in a few days, isn’t that why you’re here for?”</p><p><em> “Just agree with him.” </em> Jongdae hears Minseok hiss.</p><p>“Oh, yeah, yeah...I think.”</p><p> </p><p>Minseok burrows into the fabric even more.</p><p> </p><p>“Aww, you’re hesitant to join, aren’t you? Are you just starting out on your adventure?” Baekhyun coos, “Don’t worry, dear friend! The more trainers, the better the battles, after all! Why don’t I give you a rundown of this year’s league?”</p><p>Surprised with his stroke of luck, Jongdae places Minseok back on the ground before accepting the offer. Baekhyun’s eyes light up as he begins excitedly tugging at the hybrid. Jongdae awkwardly distances himself away from Yeol, who seems to keep his gaze on him for a little longer than necessary, before following his happy-go-lucky partner on the sidewalk that leads to Megalo City’s main road.</p><p><em> “Don’t tell me you don’t know how to lie,” </em> Minseok groaned, <em> “We’re going to get caught here, I just know it.” </em></p><p>“No, we’re not! It’s just,” Jongdae paused, raising his hand to scratch his neck with a shy chuckle. “I haven’t exactly talked to anyone other than my denmates and, well, you. I wouldn’t want to set a bad impression by lying to them immediately.”</p><p><em> “‘Dae, by being Pokémon from Elyxion, we kinda have to. Once we get caught by someone who wants to examine the likes of us, they’ll…” </em> Minseok shivered, inching closer so that he was walking side by side with the hybrid. <em> “I don’t even know what they’ll do, but I heard stories from other Pokémon like us, and it’s all terrible.” </em></p><p>Sensing the fear in the Glaceon’s tone, the disguised Pokémon paused for a moment and kneeled down so that he was almost at eye-level with the other. Trying his best to give the most comforting smile he could muster, he softly rakes his fingers through Minseok’s short fur.</p><p>“Hey, it’s going to be fine. We’re going to be fine.” Jongdae soothes, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”</p><p>Minseok still looked apprehensive, but he rolled his eyes and snorted. <em> “Leave the protecting to me, love. You  could barely bite through a melon.” </em></p><p>And just like that, all of Jongdae’s responses died in the back of his throat at the endearment. He sputters, trying to piece together a passable sentence until he hears Baekhyun call out to him. Looking at the blond-haired boy, he gives an embarrassed laugh as he stands up once again.</p><p>“I was just talking to my partner,” He explains, “He was feeling upset.”</p><p>Baekhyun’s eyes lit up in happiness. “Well, aren’t you just a considerate trainer! Pokémon like to have just as much love as any other creature, right Yeollie?” The big cat gave a purr in response. “But anyway! One more block and we’ll be right where we want to be.”</p><p>“Where we want to be? And where’s tha...”</p><p>For the second time in just ten minutes, Jongdae felt speechless as an extravagantly large infrastructure loomed over in the distance, its sides dotted with lights from top to bottom while twin spotlights danced in the sky despite it still being noon. The long lines that consisted of a crowd of both trainers and Pokémon intimidate the Raichu for a moment before he feels a hand place itself beneath his jaw before pushing it closed. When did that unhinge itself?</p><p>“Pretty cool, huh?” Baekhyun chuckled, “Believe me, it’s nothing compared to what’s inside.”</p><p>“Is that where this league is going to be held?” He asked, still in awe.</p><p>“Yep!  Their Winter Leagues are always their biggest event every year, and this one is no exception.” Baekhyun explains, “It’s a double elimination and with only twelve finalists who will compete in that dome. How cool is that?!”</p><p>“And what do they do?”</p><p>“Battle, of course, what else?” </p><p>Suddenly, all of the excitement dissipated from Jongdae as he grimaced, taking a step back. “I think I’ll pass on that one.”</p><p>“Are you sure? I heard this season’s prize is a big one!” Baekhyun gives him a smirk before leaning closer. “Their sponsor is giving out a free ride to the top of Mt. Tane’s Peak to whoever is the Winter League champion. And who knows? Maybe they’ll even catch a glimpse of Ho-Oh and the rainbow lights!”</p><p>Jongdae perks up immediately at the last part. A ride to Mt. Tane’s Peak? He glances at Minseok to see him mirroring the same intrigued expression he had. That would definitely get them to where they both need to go without taking up much of their time and effort, but at the expense of witnessing Pokémon battles, and getting to be <em> in </em>one, nonetheless?</p><p>Conflicting emotions breezed past his face in irregular patterns, where just as he was about to accept the challenge, his moral standard knocks down the building blocks of courage he had set up and prompts him to start again from scratch.  Rinse and repeat.</p><p>“Well, I...” Jongdae turns back to the dome, his stomach churning uneasily at the decision he was about to make. “I’ll think about it?”</p><p>“Great!” Baekhyun exclaims, patting the other encouragingly on the shoulder. “It’ll be an experience you won’t forget, that I’ll tell you. Registrations are at the sides of the stadium, you’ll know it when you see it.”</p><p>“Yeah,” The Raichu didn’t find it in himself to exchange the same amount of energy the boy has with the matter, but at least he managed to crack a genuine smile at the passion Baekhyun had for this. It must really be a trainer thing. “I’ll—we’ll be exploring the city now. Thank you for your help.”</p><p>The two exchanged dozens of bows before they decided on a random route to take, but before they could get far, they heard a deep voice that immediately caught their attention. Turning back, the two hybrids scanned the long line of trainers to see who it was, but they were surprised to see ‘Yeol walking up to them.</p><p>“Aww, I told you he’ll <em> warm </em>up to you!” Baekhyun cackled at his own joke. “Do you want to say goodbye, ‘Yeol?”</p><p>The Pyroar nods, a purr rumbling from his chest. But while his trainer found his actions endearing, the hybrids heard a warning within the otherwise leonine sound.</p><p>
  <em> “Take care of yourselves. There have been reports of missing Pokémon going around and I don’t think masquerading as a trainer would make any of a difference.” </em>
</p><p>Jongdae froze, letting Minseok tug his sleeve and guide him off to somewhere before the latter eyes Jongdae curiously as conflict became more and more evident in his features. Jongdae wasn’t aware of where he was going, nor did he seem to care at the moment, for his options weighed heavily on his shoulders as if it acted as a scale while the warning loomed over it all.</p><p> He was weighing them carefully, but it seemed like both choices were weighing him down until—</p><p>
  <em> “Oh, ‘Dae! Look!” </em>
</p><p>Tearing himself away from his thoughts, Jongdae realized that they were currently standing in the middle of the city’s main road, where the bustle was nothing like the Electric-type had ever seen before. But despite his discomfort, seeing the ecstatic expression on his companion’s face had overthrown his worries.</p><p><em> “I missed this place.” </em>Minseok walked around a bit, pupils widening at the sight of every single thing that was displayed on the sides of the big rectangular, hole-filled structures.</p><p><em> ‘Buildings.’ </em>His mind helpfully supplies. He’ll have to read all about this fascinating place later.</p><p>“You’ve been here before?” Jongdae asks.</p><p><em> “Of course! A big city means big competition.” </em> Jongdae watched in amusement as the Glaceon began hopping up and down in excitement, possessing a child-like aura that he couldn’t help but be endeared at rather than annoyed. <em> “Oh! They also have the best treats. Like, the best Berry Scones in all of Elyxion!” </em></p><p>“Scones?” </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>The pair had somehow ended up right before a small stall in the corner of the extra-large buildings that ended with pointed tips called skyscrapers. The grandmother that operated the cute shop was kind enough to give the two hungry individuals half a dozen Berry Scones despite Jongdae having nothing to pay for it, or even knowing what currency was, as she was packing up for the night.</p><p>They snacked on the multicolored treats as they watched everything around them change like a Charmeleon in the wild, from the bright structures and sun-kissed buildings to even brighter streets and signs. Jongdae would have normally felt uneasy at the fast pace of his surroundings, but seeing Minseok bounce around and point his snout at every single thing had turned his focus away from the changes and to his companion.</p><p>His constant.</p><p><em> “And that’s the gym that my trainer and I went into!” </em> He yaps happily, <em> “The strings of the Bug Pokémon slowed me down, but who needs speed when I can just freeze them to their webs?” </em></p><p>Minseok paused for a moment as his gaze lingered on the curved roof of the structure, before turning back to the Stadium. </p><p><em> “It’s been quite a while since I’ve felt the rush,” </em> He said, <em> “The rush of adrenaline as you step into the field, the rush of my abilities in my veins, the rush...of everything, really.” </em> He turns back to Jongdae and grins, circling the standing man while emitting noises of happiness. </p><p>
  <em> “But to be honest, this is just as fun. I’ve been to this city before, but with you, I feel like it’s my first time all over again!” </em>
</p><p>Jongdae was thankful he was able to get through the last of his pastry without choking, but his companion’s words had hit him a lot differently than he had expected. He felt a blush spread across his cheeks as he tilts his head towards the sky in order to hide his reddening face from the other. But in doing so, all that came into view was the stadium’s dome-like top.</p><p>An idea rockets into Jongdae’s mind and his mouth opens before he could even get his bearings on what he was getting himself into.</p><p> </p><p>“So, you wanna join?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Never-melt Ice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Venosaur is unable to battle, Gary and his Infernape will be moving on to the semi-finals!”</p><p>Every word that the announcer said dropped a pin of dread in Jongdae’s stomach, small and subtle that he wasn’t able to recognize it at first until they all turned to lead at the announcer’s next statement.</p><p>“Next up is our newbie Chen and his hard-hitting Glaceon, Xiumin!”</p><p>This was definitely high up in the list of all the bad decisions he had in his life, right next to the time he chose to jump over a Durant hill for the fun of it. </p><p>But in all honesty, it was knocked down a few pegs since its debut on the list the moment he decided to register as a participant for the Winter League. They had reached the quarterfinals, after all, but that didn’t erase the fact he impulsively decided to join one of the biggest events in the biggest city in Elyxion.</p><p><em> ‘It wasn’t impulsive.’ </em> He tries to remind himself. <em> ‘It’s a perfect opportunity to get to their destination the fastest. What’s overlooking a few battles over a lifetime of happiness, right?’ </em></p><p>Spoiler alert: they’re a little bit more than a few.</p><p>The cheers became more apparent as the hybrid turns the corner and exits into the field with his companion by his side, going by the alias of Xiumin since using the name his previous trainer gave him would have gotten him recognized by any Battle Maniacs that have watched the minor Leagues prior to this one where he had participated in.</p><p>No matter how many times Jongdae had entered the field for the past few days, the incessant screaming of the fans and the large rectangle thing that mirrored everything that he did (<em> “it’s a television, Jongdae.” </em>) still brought prickles of nervousness along his arms and neck.</p><p>Breathing in deeply, he recalls the dozens of names of the moves and attacks Minseok was familiar with, although he wasn’t <em> exactly </em>going to guide the Glaceon in this battle just like the countless clashes they had before with different trainers. They had hatched a plan after they had registered their names for the elimination rounds, and had executed it during the qualification battles.</p><p>He was just going to reiterate a specific move based on a specific change in body language that Minseok had painstakingly taught him to observe and memorize, but it was all worth it when they had reached this far with that tactic. Semi-finals here they come—</p><p>“And now, they’ll be facing off fan favorite Byun Baekhyun and his Pyroar, ‘Yeol!”</p><p>Jongdae snapped his eyes open to see Baekhyun waving enthusiastically at him, Yeol bounding next to him in long strides. The hybrid’s heart pounded heavily yet he still found it in himself to return the greeting with a shy wave, already doubting their chances of winning in this round.</p><p><em> “Don’t worry, ‘Dae. We’ll come out as the victors here just like our battles before.” </em> Minseok grinned, <em> “Watch me.” </em></p><p>“It’s hard not to, seeing that I also need to put up a front and ‘guide’ your attacks.” Jongdae huffed, “I mean, how do you get any freedom from <em> that? </em>”</p><p><em> “We could just choose not to follow our trainers, yet we want to. They’re the ones reading the battle, we’re just executing it.” </em> Minseok rolls his eyes. <em> “But since you know so little about these kinds of fights, you can leave the strategies up to me.” </em></p><p>“But if I choose to guide you, would you accept it?” Jongdae half-teases, half-asks to satiate his growing curiosity over the matter. </p><p>Minseok only gave a smile before he stepped towards his side of the metal platform and faced the larger Pokémon, whose mane grew brighter and more fiery the more he glared at the other. Yet despite being smaller in stature, the Glaceon wasn’t phased by the display of power the other emitting and snarled at him in turn.</p><p>“The Winter League battle between Chen and Baekhyun is about to get underway!” The referee began, “When either trainer’s chosen Pokémon is unable to continue, the battle will be over.”</p><p>From where Jongdae was standing, he could see Baekhyun give him one last thumbs up before his lips shifted into something more of a smirk. His stance was more tense but calm at the same time like he was sure of what he was going to do and how this battle was going to end. But most importantly, his confident stare wasn’t directed at him, but at his partner. </p><p>“Alright, battle begin!”</p><p>A deafening roar sounded from Minseok’s opponent as a bright reddish-orange sheen briefly glowed on the Pyroar’s skin. Jongdae had seen that tactic of raising one’s power before, and so he hoped Minseok wasn’t going to go head-to-head with the leonine Pokémon immediately.</p><p>“Flamethrower, now!”</p><p>Yeol unhinged his jaw at his partner’s command, a bright light sparking from the tunnel of his mouth before it had burst into flames that shot towards his foe. Fortunately, Minseok took the better route and swerved to the edge of the platform before jumping onto the side of the arena. Once Yeol had finished his failed attempt of an attack, it was time for his counter.</p><p>As he was continuously running on the vertical platform, Jongdae spotted the growing crystals floating with the sprinting Pokémon just as he readied his leap and the faux-trainer zeroed in on the upcoming move.</p><p>“Use Ice Shard!”</p><p>Minseok vaulted off the surface with a cry as several bits of ice flew towards his opponent, not giving him time to dodge before most of it had met its target. The light mist had cleared and Yeol growled and swayed on his feet for a moment before facing the Glaceon once again, briefly turning back to Baekhyun to give a firm nod at his trainer’s concerned query.</p><p>“Fun’s over! Use Take Down, now!”</p><p>Yeol leaped into the air before bounding over to the Ice-type in terrifyingly large bounds, a beige glow shining from his mane as he neared the descending Glaceon. Jongdae paled.</p><p>“Xiumin, watch out!”</p><p>Unfortunately, Minseok heard the warning too late as the Pyroar barreled into the unsuspecting Pokémon with vigor, sending him flying back towards his side of the arena once more. As the dust cleared, Jongdae breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw the Glaceon still standing, but looking a lot worse for wear than during his previous battles. This isn’t looking good.</p><p>“Use your momentum, Yeollie! Flame Charge!”</p><p>Yeol let his mane burn bright before he shot towards the Ice-type, the glow from before replaced with the blazing pyro that was the crown around the leonine’s head. Jongdae’s heart leaped to his throat the moment his partner lagged in his reactions, but he was able to dodge it just in time with minimal singes.</p><p>As the Pyroar stopped to collect the energy he lost, Minseok gave a side glance at Jongdae before lifting up his forelegs with a yip. Jongdae gave a nod and spread his dominant arm forward.</p><p>“Let’s end this quickly. Hail!”</p><p>With a snarl, Minseok permeated an opaque-like breeze that grew over the field that battered down the Pyroar no matter where he went, chipping in damage bit by bit at a steady pace. Even Baekhyun looked surprised and slightly panicked for his partner as he sputtered out his next command.</p><p>“Counter with Heat Wave, quick!”</p><p>Yeol roared over the whistling gale and lifted his head as an orange light exploded from where he stood, the heat meeting ice in a fierce battle of their own until they both dissipated into heavy fog. Squinting into the disruption, Jongdae saw a quick flash of cyan that was Ice Fang and the two meeting Pokémon in the middle before twin cries sounded from inside the field.</p><p>Once the mist had cleared, only one Pokémon stood victoriously.</p><p>“Yeol is unable to battle! Chen and his Pokémon will be moving to the semi-finals!”</p><p>Jongdae sprang in the air in delight, opening his arms to accept the little streak of blue that was just as ecstatic as he was as they dropped to the ground from the impact. After weeks of training and back-to-back battles, they were finally moving up to their penultimate round of the League. </p><p>Jongdae would be caught dead before saying this, but he was beginning to understand where Minseok’s argument was coming from. The hair rising from the nape of his neck from when the Pokémon first clashed, the satisfying hoarseness of his voice after a particularly loud battle with an Exploud, every single experience here on the platform had brought out a certain feeling that he couldn’t shake off even if he wanted to.</p><p>But nonetheless, this was in a controlled environment. This makes up the minority of the overall Pokémon battles and one of the only ones with a set of definite rules and looked over by officials. In the wild, the clashes are a danger to both parties, and that’s what Jongdae clung onto. Besides, this feeling is temporary. The moment the adrenaline rush stops, you’re back to the way you were before. </p><p>Now, the Rainbow Feather, his only main goal, will bring about happiness that will last a lifetime. And he’ll do whatever it takes to prove his beliefs.</p><p>“The semi-finals will be held tomorrow, folks! I hope you’re just as excited as I am to witness our new dynamic duo in action once more!”</p><p>The unmistakable feeling of delight had spread through Jongdae’s core at the announcer’s commentary, but something else had also lingered in between; something strange but not unwelcome. And as he glanced back at his partner, the feeling only grew tenfold, enough for a dust of pink to spread over his cheeks.</p><p><em> “You look like you’re the one who fought in there.” </em> Minseok’s teasing voice broke through his train of thought. <em> “What’s on your mind, Sparks?” </em></p><p>Jongdae scrunched his nose, pushing Minseok off as the latter giggled. “None of your business, Snowflake.”</p><p>“Chen!”</p><p>Scrambling to stand up and brush himself off, Jongdae sees Baekhyun running through the field towards him with a healthy Yeol in tow. Now that he’d seen the lion Pokémon in action, Jongdae could see how Baekhyun found him to be a big, fluffy firestarter. The Raichu hybrid opens his arms to accept the other’s embrace but finds himself squeaking when he’s pulled towards the boy’s chest.</p><p>“Oh my, you’ve really grown.” Baekhyun wipes a fake tear from his eye as Jongdae sputters at the awkward position. “It feels like it was just yesterday when you were walking into poles.”</p><p>Jongdae huffed, pushing him away with a grimace. “Now that’s a memory I <em> don’t </em>want to remember, thank you very much.”</p><p>Baekhyun smiles, “Kidding aside, congrats on your win! You two were amazing!” He takes one look at the ruffled Minseok playfully poking at an equally playful Yeol’s tail before pulling Jongdae back towards the stadium. “I’ll treat you to some Super Potions for Xiumin once we get back to our hotel rooms, c’mon.”</p><p>But just as they entered the access tunnel beneath the stadium, a few men dressed in suits came up to them and blocked their way. Jongdae and Baekhyun exchanged looks as their partners took their protective positions in front of them, but they were stopped when the men stepped to the side to make way for a rather tall and handsome male dressed in a maroon vest and a dark blue button-down.</p><p>“Chen?” The man spoke, “Our boss sends his warmest congratulations on your success.”</p><p>“And who may that be?” Baekhyun was the first to question.</p><p>The man raised a brow. “The very sponsor of this event.”</p><p>“Suho?” The boy gasps, “CEO of EXO Entertainment, <em> the </em>Suho?”</p><p>“The one and only.” The man confirms, “Your Glaceon had really caught his eye. He’s really yours, is he?”</p><p>“Humans and their incessant need for control,” Minseok sighs under his breath, “Just say that I’m—”</p><p>“Yes, he’s mine.” </p><p>Jongdae tried his best to school his expression at the offended gasp Minseok let out as he began yapping, but fortunately, the man didn’t seem to be deterred by the noise.</p><p>“You’ve got a very special Pokémon right there, kid.” Jongdae didn’t know what to react to the monotone execution of the man. Was he complimenting him or what? “We’ll look forward to your progress.”</p><p>As he turns to leave, the man nods to one of his companions, and the latter steps towards the boys, towering over the group before he hands him a green geometrical spray with a blue bow neatly wrapped on top of it.</p><p>“Take it as a token for your outstanding efforts.”</p><p>And with that, the strange group exits through one of the winding hallways of the tunnel. Jongdae glances worriedly at Minseok before the Pokémon mirrors the same concern. Who is this Suho and what does he want?</p><p></p><div class="center">
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</div><p>“But what if I run into a pole again?”</p><p>
  <em> “Don’t be silly, ‘Dae. I’m guiding you!” </em>
</p><p>“That doesn’t really help your case.”</p><p>Jongdae only heard the other giggle and mumble something incoherent under his breath before he was tugged once more into yet another path by his long sleeve. Pressing his ears against the fabric of his hat, the Electric-type could barely hear the usual commuters speaking in the background, which slightly concerned him considering that this was, well,  Megalo City.  </p><p>Suddenly, Jongdae perks his head up at the sudden shift of scents in the air. The metallic smell of the city slowly dissipates and the hybrid catches the whiff of brine from a chilly breeze that blows past, unfamiliar but not unwelcome. Soon, the sound of gravel permeated beneath them and the sound of rushing water slowly became more and more prominent.</p><p>
  <em> “You can take it off now.” </em>
</p><p>Without a moment to waste, Jongdae reaches from behind his head to unknot the piece of fabric around his head, pulling it off in one swift motion before squinting at the sudden brightness that offends his eyes.</p><p>And what he saw was absolutely <em> phenomenal. </em></p><p>“This...this is...” Jongdae swallowed, “Wow.”</p><p>The sky was in a beautiful balance of pinks and blues that Jongdae had only seen in mediocre picture books and magazines Kyungsoo brought back from the nearest town, but all of them combined could never hold a candle to what he was seeing right now. And with the sea waving them over with the occasional Magikarp breaking through the water, it was nothing like Jongdae had seen before.</p><p>The hybrid slowly moves down to sit on the gravelly sand, eyes fixated on the sun dipping into the horizon, and painting the sea a fiery orange that overshadows the previous hues. But before he could get enamored by every single detail this picturesque scene has to offer, he feels something brush on his sleeve before Minseok’s grinning snout pops out from inside his arm.</p><p><em> “Pretty cool, huh?” </em> He snuggles into Jongdae’s side and if it weren’t for the orange sheen overcasting the area, the Raichu’s burning face would have become evident to the other. <em> “I accidentally discovered this a long time ago when we stopped by here.” </em></p><p>“Accidentally?” Jongdae repeats, “How can you accidentally stumble upon this beauty?”</p><p>Minseok looked slightly sheepish. <em> “Call it ironic but I couldn’t handle my previous trainer’s training regime before, so when we were preparing for a minor league in this place, I kinda...ran away?” </em></p><p>“Really?” Jongdae hums, “But it’s worth seeing this, isn’t it?”</p><p><em> “It was.” </em> Minseok chuckled, <em> “I got a lengthy scolding from him, of course. He said a lot of things...things that I thought wouldn’t happen, yet here we are.” </em></p><p>Jongdae frowned, opening his mouth to say some encouragement in response but Minseok continued.</p><p><em> “To be honest, it was an absolute miracle we were able to get this far,” </em> He confessed, <em> “This isn’t my first time in a rodeo this big, but I was usually knocked out in the first few rounds before. It sucked, of course, but it provided enough of an emotional pillow to land on when we do lose this one.” </em></p><p>“But we won’t.” Jongdae replies firmly, “You’re the strongest Battle ‘Mon I know—”</p><p>
  <em> “I’m the only Battle ‘Mon you know.” </em>
</p><p>“Be quiet, I’m trying to prove a point!” Jongdae whines, letting Minseok get the last laugh before continuing. “What I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t sell yourself short. You’ve done a lot to have gotten this far, haven’t you? I only call out your attacks, Min. You’re the one who strategizes and executes it flawlessly. I’ve never seen anyone counter with so much style, it’s almost as if you’re dancing!”</p><p>He feels Minseok flick his ear once before turning towards him.<em> “You really mean all of that?” </em></p><p>“With everything I have.”</p><p>After a few bouts of silence, Jongdae feels the Glaceon shift again, this time closer than he’s even been with him.</p><p>
  <em> “Jongdae...I—” </em>
</p><p>A sudden blast had cut Minseok off and pierced their sensitive ears, the sound most likely an after-effect of a Pokémon’s attack. But what concerns them was the fact that the battlefields were on the other side of the city, making it almost impossible to hear anything from them unless it was a very catastrophic one.</p><p>Minseok immediately stood up with Jongdae following, the crowd slowly forming on the main road as people trickled in from all directions to investigate what had happened. The Electric-type was going with them as well if it weren’t for his companion calling out to him.</p><p><em> “‘Dae, are my eyes deceiving me but,” </em> He paused, getting up on his two hind legs as he strained his neck towards the opposite of where the sound came from. <em> “Isn’t that the man from before?” </em></p><p>Turning his attention to the direction Minseok was pointing at, Jongdae didn’t have to squint to see the familiar maroon vest of the tall man that they met from before. It seems like he was half-hiding, half-scouting out of the building he was in, and he didn’t even look the least bit interested in the occurrence that was literally right next to him.</p><p>After another beat or two, he exited through the door and began walking the opposite direction of the happenings, a small black briefcase tucked under his arm.</p><p><em> “Something’s really sketchy with this one, ‘Dae.” </em> Minseok huffed, running after the man. <em> “Come on.” </em></p><p>With a massive decrease of trainers walking the streets, Jongdae could see the blond-haired man clear as day. He was definitely bothered by something, considering that he was constantly looking around the place before turning to another street. Not before long, Jongdae sees him wander off into one of the tight alleyways and he knew that this was their chance to corner him.</p><p>Both hybrids dashed in-between the two buildings, heart pounding loudly in their chests for every twist and turn the alleyway gave them. </p><p><em> “Okay here’s what we’ll do,” </em> Minseok instructs, <em> “If he wants to fight, I can...” </em></p><p>Jongdae immediately tuned out the other as the only thing that greeted them was a dead-end, apart from a group of bird Pokémon that was immediately scared off the moment they neared the place. Jongdae’s eyes meet with a Braviary’s and it caws at him before flying off with the others, leaving the pair to watch it fly off into the distance. </p><p>There was no man in sight.</p><p></p><div class="center">
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</div><p>“This battle for the winner’s place at the finals is really something!”</p><p>Jongdae feels his sweat trickle down his neck the moment the Infernape’s attack flies a little too close to a battered Minseok, the latter doing his best on the defense than actually doing anything to get the advantage. The hybrid desperately squints at Minseok to catch a glimpse of any type of signal for a move, yet the Glaceon was too busy keeping his cool under the Sunny Day the fire monkey had put up a few moments prior.</p><p>His core was pulsing along with his heart and Jongdae clenched his fist as the tired Minseok was picked up by his tail by the ecstatic Infernape before he was thrown with vigor, sending him flying to the other side of the arena with a crash. </p><p>“Xiumin!” He cries, trying his damndest not to run towards the Ice-type with the risk of disqualification looming over him with a tight grip on his neck. “Xiumin?!”</p><p>Unlike the previous times where Jongdae had called his name, the Ice-type didn’t give a reply. When the dust cleared, Minseok was half-standing, half-lying on the ground, panting heavily as he struggled to even stand straight. From the corner of his eye, Jongdae could see the Infernape looking pleased with himself as it awaited its trainer’s next command, it’s chatter forming a taunt at its opponent.</p><p><em> “Is this the newbie that blazed through his previous rounds? Ha! What a disappointment.” </em> It sneered, <em> “Such a slow and weak Pokémon shouldn’t even be in this in the first place.” </em></p><p>Minseok snarled, lifting himself up and unhinging his jaw before dashing towards the primate-like Pokémon, sending Jongdae that much-awaited signal.</p><p>“Xiumin, use Ice Fang!”</p><p>The Glaceon leaped upwards as his canines glowed a cyan hue and Jongdae coiled his tail, wishing that the attack would hit, yet just like before, the Infernape dodged the descending ‘Mon as if they weren’t battling for quite a while now, ears perking up to hear his counter from his trainer.</p><p>“Mach Punch, quick!”</p><p>The Infernape didn’t waste any more time in obeying the command as he hit the Glaceon back to his side of the arena, Minseok tumbling on the floor before he righted himself with his tail. His landing wasn’t as graceful as before, but at least he could still stand.</p><p>“‘Min! You alright?” His companion gave a tired huff in response. “Okay, we need to change our tactics and—”</p><p>
  <em> “Just give up. You have no place here.” </em>
</p><p>The Infernape spun around and did a few tricks with its powerful and flexible limbs to show off, which riled up the cheers of the crowd but had also sparked an observation in the Raichu’s mind. All this time, the Fire-type depended on most of his moves that required precision and physical contact, not to mention he had an advantage in terms of speed and agility. If he could get Minseok to cut off all of its advantages with a smart combination of attacks, then they might have a chance in this.</p><p>“Minseok, you have to trust me on this.” Jongdae pleaded, “Now, Icy Wind!”</p><p>It took the Glaceon a beat to comply, but the frigid breeze arrived before the Infernape realized what the attack was. The primate tried to stand his ground, arms raised to shield his eyes from the chunks of ice that blew his way, but at the expense of his focus that Jongdae took advantage of.</p><p>“Follow up with Iron Tail, let’s go!”</p><p>His companion sprinted through the cold gale he made to mask his presence, his long diamond tail already glowing a metallic sheen before he threw himself at his opponent, turning just in time so that his powered appendage was the only thing that hit the Infernape’s middle and brought him to the cold metal ground of the field.</p><p>“It seems like the tables are starting to turn for this battle! But will it be enough for our dynamic duo?”</p><p>The announcer’s voice broke through Jongdae’s attention for a moment but it was enough for him to take his eyes off of the clash for a split-second. Once he turned back to the fight, he was horrified to see Minseok attempting to do another move at point-blank. The Infernape’s crown of flames was burning its brightest and Jongdae knew that wasn’t a good sign.</p><p>“Wait, Min—!”</p><p>Unfortunately, his cry was too late as the Infernape’s tail had already wrapped around one of Minseok’s forelegs and pulled him to the ground as it jumped right back up. The Ice-type panicked and tried to struggle out the Infernape’s iron hold, but its trainer’s command rang out through the arena before he could even do so.</p><p>“Finish this with Acrobatics!”</p><p>The Infernape gave a smirk before lifting itself up from the floor, doing a series of twists and turns in the air while still keeping hold of the poor Glaceon. Jongdae grit his teeth when the Fire-type vaulted into the air with his companion and hovered in the air for a few seconds before starting to spin vertically.</p><p>After one more rotation, the Infernape lifted up its tail with the disoriented Minseok before throwing him down with newfound vigor<b><em>, </em> </b>plunging him towards the ground just like Jongdae’s pounding heart to the pit in his stomach. The impact had been great enough that it sent clouds of dust and ash from the fire monkey’s previous attack to surround his companion.</p><p>“Give it one last Mach Punch, Infernape!”</p><p>Jongdae’s eyes widened. “No!”</p><p>But the attack had been set.</p><p>The Fire-type dived towards the dust cloud with its glowing fist, sending the bits of particles and debris to permeate in the surrounding area and forced Jongdae to cover his eyes with his sleeve. Jongdae dreaded to look up at the clash, and seeing Minseok unmoving on the ground with the Infernape triumphantly looming over him had set off something inside the hybrid.</p><p>Thunder rolled in the distance and dark clouds could be spotted breezing towards the city through the open roof of the stadium, yet the announcer’s ecstatic voice was all Jongdae could hear.</p><p>“Xiumin is unable to battle, which means Gary and his Infernape will be moving up to take the spot of the winner’s place in the finals!” He declared, “Will our dynamic duo face our champs once more? Or will the double eliminations be the end of our rising stars? Find out tomorrow!”</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Sacred Ash</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Don’t worry, your Pokémon will be back in fighting shape in no time.”</p><p>And with that, the Chansey holding Minseok had set the fainted Pokémon on one of those strange glowing tables that they used for restoring Pokémon’s health. The hybrid gave multiple bows to the nurse and the egg-shaped ‘Mon as thanks before taking a seat next to the machine, watching it glow a light-green hue around his companion.</p><p>He wrung his hands nervously, absentmindedly playing with the frayed edge of one sleeve as the muffled hum of the machine was the only thing he could bear to hear right now. Once that was over, he was then instructed to let his companion rest for a few more moments and wait for him to wake up. And so, without anything else to keep him distracted, he was a victim of his own thoughts.</p><p>This was how all battles ended, with one of the parties too hurt and exhausted to even keep their eyes open. What about all the Pokémon they faced off in the past? Have they been in this situation before?</p><p>Guilt coils around Jongdae’s gut just like an Arbok to its prey, spreading the nauseating feeling from his stomach to his core. He shouldn’t have grabbed the opportunity if it meant that a lot of Pokémon were going to get hurt in the process. He should have—</p><p>“Hey, man.”</p><p>Looking up, he sees the familiar forest-green hair and blue-and-white striped shirt of his opponent from before. Gary, was it?</p><p>“O-oh, hey.” Jongdae scrambled to stand up and greet the other with formality. “Congratulations on getting to the finals.” He tried his best to shift his tired voice into a somewhat more genuine one. “You and your Infernape were great.”</p><p>“Oh, thanks. Your Glaceon was pretty ace too.” Gary turns away to eye the tray of Pokéballs in the hands of the nurse. “Though it did make me wonder.”</p><p>Jongdae perked up at Gary’s last statement as he tilted his head in questions. “What?”</p><p>Gary lifted his hands up in surrender. “Don’t get me wrong, man. You were astounding for having gone this far into the League using only one Pokémon for all the rounds. You even bested that Pyroar, didn’t you?”</p><p>Jongdae’s mind briefly wandered back to Yeol and their fight before giving a tiny nod. “What does that have to do with anything?”</p><p>“Well, this is the Winter League, isn’t it? You need to spice up your techniques if you want to win.” </p><p>“What are you saying?”</p><p>“All I’m saying is that <em> maybe </em>using your Glaceon isn’t the best thing to do.” Gary chuckled, “I mean, it already has a type disadvantage with my Infernape. I already know all of your tactics too.”</p><p>Jongdae kept quiet, trying to dampen this egregious feeling that was starting to flare in his core. This was just constructive criticism from a trainer who had probably won a considerable amount of battles, Jongdae. He’s just giving constructive crit—</p><p>“Look, the League officials are allowing rented Pokémon to join. I could give you the locations of the best ones...”</p><p>But Jongdae had already zoned out of the conversation, his focus turning to the icy-blue tip of a tail that was exiting the building from behind Gary. Alarmed, Jongdae looked back at the healing table, only to see it void of his companion. </p><p>Oh no.</p><p>“Listen, I appreciate the gesture, but I stand by my decisions.” Jongdae cut off, his words coming off as sharper than usual. “And if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be taking my leave.”</p><p>The hybrid didn’t let the other respond before he all but dashed out of the Pokémon Center, head whirling in all directions in an attempt to find his missing companion. Why did he just leave like that? He had heard their conversation, hadn’t he? Jongdae was beginning to feel restless and angry at himself for even entertaining a thought like that <em> knowing </em>that the Pokémon in question was right behind him. He’s no better than the humans he’s parading against.</p><p>A flash of cyan from the corner of his eye had picked his hopes up as he didn’t waste any more time sprinting towards its direction, forgetting all rhyme or reason as he began shouting his companion’s true name. Unfortunately, the Glaceon didn’t even bat an eye at him before slipping in between two buildings as thunder rumbled from right above them, painting the almost empty streets a gloomy hue as people began running inside to shelter themselves from the upcoming weather.</p><p>“Minseok!” Jongdae cried, boots sounding heavily in the concrete as he chased after the Ice-type. “I’m sorry! Min-”</p><p>As he entered the alleyway and turned the corner, the words he had built the courage to shout suddenly died at the back of his throat the moment his eyes landed on the hunched-over figure in the corner of the dark alleyway, his back hunched with his head on his knees. It <em> hurts </em>him to see Minseok so distraught, but at the same time, he seemed to be frozen in shock.</p><p>Minseok had shifted.</p><p>Thunder rolled overhead and broke through Jongdae’s surprise, and only then he moved to take action. He immediately took off the purple robe before wrapping it around the bare man, taking no heed of the frigid winter breeze that blew over his bare torso, but no matter how much he tried to lift the hybrid up, he was just as frozen as the frost he could conjure up in a blink of an eye. </p><p>Sighing, Jongdae moved to sit down in front of him, slowly taking in the hybrid’s features as he waited for Minseok to make the first move.</p><p>The other hybrid was pale, which was a given considering might haven’t been using this form in quite a while (or ever, now that he thinks about it). Still, there are a few things that stuck to him from his full form, like the fluffy-looking cyan hair to the long floppy ears sticking out of it. And as Jongdae squinted to his right, he could see his diamond tail thumping pitifully on the ground beside them.</p><p>“He’s right.”</p><p>Jongdae jumps from the sudden voice. It was rough like it hadn’t been used in a long time, but it still had that usual softness he had known him to have, if not softer, like wind chimes dancing in the autumn breeze. This was definitely his Minseok.</p><p>“That human, he’s right.” He repeats once again, shoulders hunching. “I’m not cut out for the big league, ‘Dae. I’ll only disappoint you.”</p><p>“Nonsense. We’ve gotten this far, and it’s all because of you.”</p><p>“But it's also going to be because of me when we lose.” Minseok raised his head and if it weren’t for their current situation, Jongdae would have been floored by the absolute youthfulness of the little hybrid’s face. “Don’t you see, Jongdae? My trainer made the right choice of leaving. I’m nothing but baggage.”</p><p>“No, you’re not,” Jongdae said firmly, eyes radiating steely determination he glared at Minseok’s Persian-like ones. “You’re crafty and smart and agile—”</p><p>“But that didn’t help in our battle earlier, did it?” Minseok buried his head in his knees once more. “I couldn’t dodge and get tired too quickly—”</p><p>“Because you keep chasing after your target when you weren’t supposed to be.” Jongdae reached out towards the other to place two fingers under his chin and lift it back up once more. “We almost got it in the second half, ‘Seok.”</p><p>“That was nothing but pure luck that ran out in the end.”</p><p>“But it wasn’t!” Jongdae huffed. He slowly moves to stand before helping up Minseok, to which the other complied, albeit a bit hesitant. “We’ll try again, but this time, we’ll be prepared. We’ll win this.”</p><p>“We were prepared earlier, ‘Dae, but look where it still got us.” He sighed, “We have no room for error anymore. We’ve already spent so much time just so we can reach the mountain within a week's time that we wouldn’t even <em> reach </em>the foot of it before the real power of winter reaches us.”</p><p>Jongdae paused for a moment, having almost forgotten that their participation in this event was sparked from their need to get to Mt. Tane’s Peak amongst the stress and euphoria of the battles. Yet he knew that this was beyond their final goal.</p><p>“We can still win, ‘Dae.” Minseok placed a gentle hand on his. “Just rent a better Pokémon. A faster, stronger, more loyal—”</p><p>“Min,” Jongdae’s firm voice cut through his rambling. “Why should I get a better Pokémon if I already have him right here?”</p><p>Minseok chuckled mirthlessly. “Now isn’t the right time to lie about such things, you know.”</p><p>“But where is the lie in that? <em> Where? </em>” The other pressed, “What I’m seeing before me is the very Pokémon who taught me that nothing teaches us better than our own experiences before proceeding to freeze my tail off.”</p><p>The minuscule smile that graced his companion’s lips was enough to put an even bigger one on Jongdae’s. “But I digress. Listen to me, Min. When I said that we still have a chance in this, I meant <em> we. </em> Not me and some random Pokémon I got from somewhere, it’s <em> you </em>and me.” He tightened his grip on the other hybrid’s hand. “And that’s going to be it until the end of our adventure, so don’t you think you can just get away that easily.”</p><p>Minseok snorts at this, proceeding to lift his head back up on his own. Despite the low lighting in the alleyway, the Glaceon still looked ethereal. Jongdae lost himself in the twinkling orbs of baby-blue for a moment, before he cleared his throat and pulled himself together.</p><p>“I was doubting if I could even do anything right in this event. You’ve seen me during the elimination rounds, right?” Jongdae gave a chuckle before he stepped closer to remove the space between them. “What I’m trying to say is I believe that we still have a chance in this, Min.”</p><p>“I believe in you. I really do.” He pressed their foreheads together as their tails intertwined with each other, his yellow bolt suddenly shooting sparks that would have concerned him any other day, but the person in front of him was far more important. “Now let’s make them believe in you too.”</p><p></p><div class="center">
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</div><p>“Now, the battle for the title of Winter League Champion is about to begin! Our trainers are making their entrances.”</p><p>Jongdae swore that the cheers were louder than ever before, but perhaps that was the product of his hypersensitive ears from the jitters he was experiencing since the beginning of the day. He could hear their aliases being screamed from the top of their lungs followed up with some kind of word of encouragement or compliment, but all his attention was on the appearance of their opponent and his Pokémon on the other side of the arena.</p><p>If he was feeling <em> this </em>nervous, he couldn’t possibly imagine what Minseok was going through. But like the professional Battle ‘Mon that he is, his straightened posture and confident smirk says it all. Yet, the restless flickering of his left ear betrays his bold facade.</p><p>“Hey, we won’t give up ‘til it’s over, okay?” </p><p>The Raichu knelt down on one knee so that he could see eye-to-eye with Minseok and suddenly, he felt all the noise fade away in the background as he set a comforting hand on the Glaceon’s crest on his forehead. </p><p>They stayed up late discovering new moves and attacks with the help of the little device Baekhyun had lent them that shoots out these flat and circular disks called Technical Machines. Most of them weren’t compatible with the Ice-type, but they had gathered enough to have a shot this time. </p><p>“Let’s prove them wrong.” Jongdae scratches the inside of the other’s chin. “We—no, <em> you’ll </em> win this. That ticket to Mt. Tane’s Peak will be as good as ours.”</p><p>Minseok dropped the haughty smile in lieu of a grateful one as he gave a nod, nuzzling into the other’s hand before they were called to the field by one of the officials. </p><p>As Minseok took his spot on their side of the metal platform, Jongdae stood up and dusted his robe as he made eye contact with Gary. He looked understandably stoic like all the trainers they had faced off before, but as he took a glance at Minseok, he returned his focus back at Jongdae to give a disapproving shake of his head, which made Jongdae scoff. They’ll give him a battle he’ll never forget. </p><p>As winter settled a blanket of snow and a breath of frigid air around the arena, it seems like Minseok has the obvious advantage, but the very aura of the fiery Infernape was enough to melt all of it in its vicinity and brought an immediate concern to the faux-trainer. Nonetheless, Jongdae stood his ground with his companion and waited for the referee’s call.</p><p><em> “You again?” </em> The Infernape gave a shrill chuckle that brought the whole crowd into cheers as they mistook it for an intimidation tactic. <em> “Let’s end this quickly, then.” </em></p><p>As soon as the flag was brought down, they waited for another split-second before Gary barked out the Infernape’s first move.</p><p>Hands shining an almost blinding white, the glow suddenly shaped into sharp claws before the Infernape took off towards Minseok in record time. Jongdae was right when he guessed that the Fire-type would be toying with his companion in this round. Unfortunately for it, they weren’t in the mood to play games.</p><p>As their orange-furred foe was a stride away from the Glaceon, Minseok knew just what to do before Jongdae responded with his own “command”. He lifted up his head and a shield of shimmering green surrounded his figure just as Infernape pulled his hand back and struck diagonally at the cover, but it held its own against the opponent’s strength.</p><p>“Bite!”</p><p>Jongdae’s voice had more force than he intended, but with the incessant pounding in his chest, as he saw that one of their strategies had worked, it was hard for him not to react with no less than a cheer. Still, he held his cool and watched as dark matter in a form of a bigger rendition of Minseok’s jaw replaced the now-destroyed shield that was Protect before it clamped down onto the Infernape.</p><p>The audience cheered louder as the Fire-type stumbled back in a daze before shaking out of it, glaring daggers at the Glaceon before throwing his head back and puffing his chest out before large streams of fire spewed out of his mouth and at Minseok. The latter countered just in time with his own beam of frigid blue light before it collided in the center and permeated a big cloud of steam as a result.</p><p>“Looks like the battle is really picking up steam as—wait! And would you look at that!”</p><p>Alarmed, Jongdae glanced back at the field to see the Infernape burst through the fog right in front of Minseok, its entire figure ablaze. It barreled against his opponent before running straight into the arena’s wall, crushing Minseok against the metal and its flaming body.</p><p>“Xiumin!” Jongdae cried, squinting through the remains of the fog before it settled on the dent on the wall and the cyan lump below it. He sees him unhinge his jaw and he immediately announces his next move. “Ice Fang, quick!”</p><p>With the Infernape regenerating his energy from that powerful attack, Jongdae thought that a close-contact move like that would hit like the Bite from before, but the Fire-type dodged it with its terrifying agility and took Minseok by surprise once more.</p><p>Jongdae watched in horror as a spark ignited on its five-toed foot by Gary’s command before he reeled it back at sent it straight towards his companion, not giving him time to recover from his failed attempt, much less protect himself from the blazing kick. </p><p>A memory from their previous battle rocketed itself straight into Jongdae's mind as he helplessly watched Minseok get thrown around the arena, yet he shook his head and focused back on the current event happening before his eyes. This wasn’t a time to dawdle on the past. He needed to help Minseok with this fast flaming monkey, but how?</p><p>The Infernape’s flame was starting to brighten like before and Jongdae knew all it had to do was to execute one more well-placed attack before it was game over for them. Its signature move proved to be very useful throughout its—wait a minute.</p><p>That’s it!</p><p>“Xiumin!” His call went totally unprompted but it caught his companion’s attention. “Your special move!”</p><p>
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</p><p>Despite the weather in his favor, Minseok still felt like he was melting from his opponent’s flames.</p><p>He knew he had the type disadvantage here. His ice wouldn’t come close to dangerous as long as his foe kept his flames ignited, and the only time where it would fade was if he was able to defeat the very Pokémon wielding it. If he kept this up, he’d be down and out in less than ten strikes just like the last round. </p><p>The Infernape smirked at him and raised his hand to taunt the Glaceon, but Minseok was too troubled with his own thoughts to even react at his opponent’s move. Their strategies sounded good on paper, yet most of them were starting to fail because of the Fire-type’s terrifying agility. </p><p>Shaking his head, he tried to land another Ice Beam but proved to be futile when the other dodged it with a few simple jumps, getting closer and closer the more he moved. This was a mistake. Even with a strong and calculated set of approaches, he was still too weak. </p><p>As the cheers grew ever louder the more the Infernape neared, Minseok couldn’t help but scoff at himself. Even the audience knew who would win this battle. The tide was turned against his favor. There was not a soul in this arena who believed that he would win.</p><p>“Xiumin!” He hears Jongdae cry. “Your special move!”</p><p>Except one.</p><p>Minseok snaps his head towards the robed hybrid with a confused expression for a split second before the realization of what it meant suddenly dawns on him. <em> “T-that?! But the arena’s too big-!” </em></p><p>“Xiumin, just do it! I know you can!”</p><p>After another moment of hesitation, Minseok returns the cry with a firm nod before facing his opponent once more, standing his ground with his head held high despite seeing the Infernape give him one last sneer before charging towards him in all of its flaming glory, looking more of a fiery bullet than an actual Pokémon. </p><p>Digging deep into his core, the Glaceon reels his head back and releases the loudest howl he can muster as he uses his signature move to stop any possible attacks coming his way. </p><p>Eyes shut, Minseok awaited for his demise, but if the gasp the Infernape let out wasn’t enough, the announcer’s astounding voice broke through the never-ending cheers of the crowd and broadcasted the fruits of his labor. </p><p>“And what is this?” The voice echoed through the arena. “It seems like our Glaceon had surrounded the field in a flurry! The Infernape’s trying to amp up the heat, but all it’s doing is contributing with a fog! We’re down to a stalemate as literally, no one can see what is happening!”</p><p>Minseok smiled. <em> Almost </em> no one.</p><p>With the flurry everywhere in the arena’s atmosphere, Minseok had created his own form of echolocation in the field. The self-made frigidness created a map inside his head with anything that touched the little particles of icy flakes, and he was able to zero in where his opponent was located within the field. Bingo.</p><p>“Now hit ‘em with everything you got!”</p><p>The Glaceon’s smile widened at Jongdae’s command. Harnessing his element through the weather, he began chipping away at the distressed Infernape with every single non-contact attack he knew. </p><p>He had almost blown his cover when he saw the monkey Pokémon flailing around some random direction through his mental map before delivering a hard punch to a wall, but he decided to calm himself as he threw another hard gale of frigid wind at his opponent. Just a few more hits and he’ll be—</p><p>“Overheat!”</p><p>Minseok tapped into his mental map just in time to see the Infernape’s flames stretch far out the arena until he was suddenly hit with an intense heat that he was thrown back into the wall. Groaning, Minseok cracked one his eyes open to survey the arena, momentarily seeing all his flurry turned into light mist, before he saw the Infernape’s rounded snout mere inches away from his, its crown of flames burning as bright as their battle before.</p><p>“Infernape, use Acrobatics!”</p><p>“Iron Tail, now!”</p><p>As expected, the Infernape had been the first to react as he grabbed Minseok’s scruff and had completed one revolution with the Glaceon, but Minseok followed through with the attack and turned against the other Pokémon’s movement, slamming his metallic appendage right on the Infernape’s face and caused him to throw him straight into the air.</p><p>“This is it, the moment of truth! Who will be the first to take down the other?!”</p><p>Minseok righted himself in the air just in time to see the Infernape’s fist glow brightly through the mist they had created, its eyes burning with nothing but fiery rage that brought shivers to his spine. But as he desperately wracked his mind for any possible moves he could carry out that would overpower the other, Jongdae’s voice broke through his train of thought.</p><p>“Xiumin, Giga Impact!”</p><p>The Glaceon’s eyes widened as his body reacted accordingly to the unprompted command. Pure, raw energy coursed from his core like never before and he felt like he was using every bit of his power to build up this attack alone, but as he saw the Infernape adjust his stance and ready himself on the ground, he knew he had one shot in doing this. </p><p>One-shot in proving himself to everyone watching this battle that he isn’t just <em>some </em>Glaceon.</p><p>One-shot to make Jongdae proud.</p><p>
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</p><p>Jongdae inconspicuously adjusted his robe just as he saw the comet-like being descend from the sky, lighting up the dreary heavens with white that it almost looked like a star was descending down the mist-covered field. The Infernape stood stoically on the ground as it stared up at its foe with a blanked gaze, seemingly deaf to all its trainer’s attempts at making it move. It seemed like it was frozen, but Jongdae knew better.</p><p> </p><p>Fire meets ice, and the impact almost sent Jongdae’s hat (and himself) flying.</p><p> </p><p>For once in the entirety of the Winter League, the crowd finally fell silent as all eyes were fixed on the field, trying to see who had done the finishing move. As grand as Minseok’s attack was, the Infernape still had a higher chance of winning thanks to his uncanny agility and ability to strike first and bring down Minseok before he could lay a paw on its fur.</p><p>But after the dust had cleared, the cyan-furred quadruped was proudly standing over the monkey’s chest.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Toxic Orb</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Our sponsor will have a word with you and you can receive your prize, alright?” The backstage personnel instructs them as they stop by the door at the very end of one of the tunnels. “Just entertain his questions, capiche? This is the big boss we’re talking about, you don’t want to mess with him.”</p><p>Jongdae eyes the human strangely. “Okay…?”</p><p>The personnel eyes them seriously one last time before he timidly knocks on the wooden door. He opens it slowly before beginning to ramble about something along the lines of the event proper, but a hand appears from behind the large swivel chair, effectively cutting off the man in one swift motion.</p><p>“I have secretaries for a reason.” A smooth voice spoke, “Leave this fine man to me.”</p><p>“O-of course, sir.” The man sputtered, hand twisting to open the door immediately. “I’ll go—I just...I’ll inform your s-secretaries...now.”</p><p>After the red-faced man finally closed the door, Jongdae exchanged a look with his companion before facing the back of the jet-black leather chair, the hand from before disappearing behind the cover of the seat before it swiveled around and revealed a rather young-faced male who looked more like a model than an owner of a multimillionaire company, complete with the deep-blue streaks in his hair.</p><p>Jongdae tried his best to hide his surprise when he saw that the CEO wasn’t a gray-haired, Emboar-bellied snob, but the mirthful chuckle from the other man told him he might have shown an apprehensive look before he was able to school it into a small grin.</p><p>“You said you wanted to meet us, Suho-nim?”</p><p>“Ah, our newest champions of this season’s league. It’s an absolute <em> honor </em>to meet you.” He reached out to shake Jongdae’s hand. “Suho is fine for me. Honorifics makes me feel old.”</p><p>The two share a semi-awkward laugh before the primly-dressed man gestured to the chairs before the table. “Take a seat.”</p><p>Jongdae moves to sit on the right-most chair of velvet as he glances at Minseok and subtly points at the other one, yet the Glaceon shook his head and hopped on his companion. He circled around Jongdae’s lap for a few moments, flashing a cheeky grin at him before laying down. </p><p>Jongdae snorts, placing a hand on Minseok’s back before he turned his focus back to Suho just in time to see him reappear from behind his desk. He hears a drawer being closed before a small velvet box was placed on the side of the table.</p><p>“I’d like to thank you for giving me your time today. I know trainers like you would rather go and see what they could see in the world.” Suho smiled, “But trainers also yearn to be the best of the best, do they not? It’s the reason why they participate in these events, isn’t it?”</p><p>Jongdae found himself nodding along with the CEO’s words, strangely invested in whatever the other was saying. He knows that something was misplaced, like a Foongus amidst a dozen other Pokéballs, but it would take more than a squint to figure out what was wrong. And so, he leaned on the seat and listened to his spiel.</p><p>“Being the best is everything to a trainer, and to you too if I’m not mistaken. So, I have a proposal.” Suho said, a smile widening at Jongdae’s confused but interested expression. “I know I’m only supposed to give you your prize, but let me explain.”</p><p> Another drawer was opened before a stack of neatly inked paper was placed before him. Jongdae peeked at the big, bold letters on the front,</p><p>
  <em> Elite X-traordinaire Organization </em>
</p><p>“I know it might seem sudden, but I’ve seen both of your potential for the duration of that event. It’s practically a crime if I just let such an amazing pair go without letting you hear my proposition.” Suho leaned comfortably on his seat. “Let me expound your limits and reach your fullest potential. My company offers training sessions for those who wish to explore their capabilities in a safe environment.”</p><p>Suho reached out towards the side to pick up the elongated object that Jongdae knows was used for writing, only a bit fancier than the previous ones he saw.</p><p>“I never give an opportunity like this out of the blue, but the two of you strike a special chord with me.” He held out the pen. “So what do you say?”</p><p>Exchanging a look with Minseok, the latter looked skeptical as he pressed the side of his face on Jongdae’s raised hand to feign nonchalance as he spoke with Jongdae.<em> “It seems very sketchy to me, ‘Dae. In all the years I’ve traveled around Elyxion, I’ve never heard of this Elite group thing.” </em></p><p>Following Minseok’s example, Jongdae pitched up to his voice just like he’d seen Baekhyun do when he talks to Yeol. “What do you say, buddy?”</p><p><em> “I wouldn’t take it,” </em> Minseok said, hesitating for a moment before continuing with a softer tone.  <em> “Besides, our goal is to get to the top of Mt. Tane’s Peak and drop me off, remember? Then you can go and get your Rainbow Feather.” </em></p><p>Jongdae’s smile slowly faded as his words sunk in. That <em> was </em>their original plan, right? He hadn’t realized they were so close to completing their little adventure until Minseok had mentioned it. </p><p>An ache had begun to bloom in his chest the more he entertained the thought, but he forced himself to take a few calming breaths when he saw the lamp suddenly flicker incessantly. Suho instantly looked concerned as he reached over to close the thing before turning back to them.</p><p>“Well?”</p><p>“I’m sorry, si—Suho, but we would like to decline.” Jongdae pushed away from the stack. “It’s a nice offer, it really is, but it isn’t for us, I guess.”</p><p>Suho looked stunned for a split-second before his signature smile returned to his features. “There’s nothing I can do but honor your decision, then.”</p><p>Silence wallowed in the room as Suho’s deft fingers picked up the stack to place it back where he got it from, but at that moment, Jongdae had felt a sudden shift of atmosphere.</p><p>“But I also trust you to keep this between ourselves.” Suho glanced up at Jongdae with a steely look. “As you can see, this...organization, so to say, isn’t for everyone. For the safety of everyone involved, even yourself, you shall not mention this to anyone, understand?”</p><p>Jongdae immediately moves to nod, the strange feeling of enamourment from before turning into icy fear as Suho eyed him for a second too long before a grin befell his features once again.</p><p>“You’ve earned this, champ.” He abruptly slides a small, white envelope over to Jongdae’s side and makes him startle slightly. “The plane leaves tomorrow afternoon, so don’t be late. We wouldn’t want to miss the flight, do we?” </p><p>After a moment, he picks up the velvet box from before and opens it to reveal two water drop earring studs to the intimidated duo. “For precautionary measures, you’ll both need to wear this, one for each. Just to make sure that the crew knows that I’ve sponsored both your rides.”</p><p>He reaches out to take Jongdae’s hand before placing the box on his open palm. “Please accept it also as a token for your innately entertaining battles in the past few days.”</p><p>Examining the same water drop logo brandished on the top, Jongdae pocketed the gift with a bow. “Thank you. We’ll be sure to treasure it, Suho.”</p><p>“I’m counting on it. Now, go celebrate. Both of you just made <em> history. </em> ” Came the other’s reply, “But stay vigilant. A lot of missing Pokémon had been reported within the week alone. I’d <em> hate </em>it if something were to happen to both of you.”</p><p>Jongdae put up another smile and a dozen more bows before letting Minseok drag him out of the room, yet the moment the door closed behind them, Suho’s smile only widened even further as he raised his phone to his ear.</p><p>“The tracker is in place.” He chuckles, “On the other hand, I’ve got a <em> special </em> person for you to keep an eye on, Sehun.”</p><p></p><div class="center">
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</div><p>“You sure you don’t want to come?”</p><p>Jongdae eyes the bundle of blankets that were a little too close to the bright television screen for this liking, but the cyan mop of hair and familiar baby face popped out and disrupted his thoughts. Ears flickering restlessly, one of them already adorned with the water drop accessory that Suho gave them, Minseok gave a gummy smile before he could even reprimand him.</p><p>“Pass,” Minseok responds, “I just...I still couldn’t believe we’ve won. Look at this!”</p><p>He grabs the remote and rewinds what was being displayed on the screen before pressing play, showing off a play by play recap of the bright descent of the Glaceon in a much better perspective given that it was up the bleachers. Minseok pressed a hand on the glass.</p><p>“I did that, ‘Dae...” He breathed out, “I did <em> that </em>.”</p><p>“You did, Min.” Jongdae pats the other’s hair, laughing as the other hissed and shied away from the offending hand. “We still have to attend the league’s afterparty, but I’ll just say that you’d need more rest when they ask, alright?”</p><p>Minseok excitedly nods, eyes still fixated on the screen as he clutched the remote and reversed the scene once more. “Just don’t drink too much of that dry-tasting drink! I’ve seen my trainer trip on his feet one time after trying out one of them.”</p><p>“I’ll keep that in mind.” Jongdae rolls his eyes as he moves to exit the suite. “Be careful with that! I heard they’re not good for your sight if you’re near them.”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it.” Minseok waved off, “I won’t stop until I’ve seen every single frame!”</p><p>Jongdae rolled his eyes as he heard his companion howl again just before he closed the door. He just hopes that their suite neighbors won’t come for his tail at Minseok’s loudness, but then he realized that they were most probably in the party that he was going to right now. Curse the insignificant duties of a league champion. </p><p>
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</p><p>Unfortunately, the event was more lackluster than what he expected. He had read all about these exclusive affairs in many of the wordy magazines he had read that liked to flash their flashy titles with even flashier pictures on its front page, and there had even been a time where he yearned to be invited to one of them. </p><p>But now, seeing all of it with his very own eyes, he soon realized that a majority of the articles were no better than the stories conjured up for the sake of satisfying the reader’s liking for anything that was beyond normal.</p><p>There were a lot of people, that being the only similarity this night had with the magazine’s excerpts, but it wasn’t as wild or suffocating as it was depicted to be. It felt casual, like one of the small gatherings Yixing always set up once a month for all the nearby Pokémon to feast on the berries they collected, but it held a more formal atmosphere that Jongdae definitely wasn’t used to.</p><p>After an excruciatingly long minute where a man with the thin, silver object that amplified his voice introduced him to the crowd, Jongdae managed to pry himself away from the throngs of people shoving these small rectangle pieces of white cardboard at him and stuck himself to the corners of the party venue like the wallflower that he is, lest someone accidentally tugs away from his hat or lifts up his robe to showcase his non-human parts for all to see.</p><p>After thanking one of the uniformed men for his offer of a fruity drink, Jongdae was about to drink it in one go to get it over with before retreating back to the hotel for the night, only for an arm to wrap around his shoulders to stop him from doing so.</p><p>“Jongdae, I’m glad you could make it!”</p><p>Jongdae furrowed his brows in concern at the slight slur Baekhyun had at the end of every word he uttered, but ‘Yeol appeared just in time to take the blabbering human off of the hybrid with a tug on his jacket, shooting the Electric-type an apologetic look as he tried to support the other’s body with his.</p><p><em> “I’m sorry about him, he drank too much of that sour berry juice that humans like to drink all the time.” ‘ </em> Yeol rolled his eyes before surveying the hybrid. <em> “Where’s the little ice-maker? I’d never thought he’d leave your side.” </em></p><p>Jongdae hesitates with an answer, eyeing the intoxicated trainer with concern before ‘Yeol snorts. <em> “He won’t remember this event even happened. If he does, worst-case scenario, he’ll assume it’s another one of his weird fever dreams again.” </em></p><p>“That’s...comforting?” Jongdae pauses for another beat as soon as he saw Baekhyun shift before he finally eased up. “Minseok’s back at our room. He still couldn’t believe he won.” </p><p><em> “Well, I do too, to some extent.” </em> The Pyroar laid down so that his trainer was leaning on his mane. <em> “To be honest, his opponent was considerably quicker than him. But then again, maybe it was paralyzed at the literal comet flying towards it.” </em></p><p>Jongdae gave a small smile. “Yeah, that must be it.”</p><p>
  <em> “So where are both of you off to now? I heard that the town at the summit is holding their own event like this in a few weeks.” </em>
</p><p>The hybrid perks up at the mention of another tournament, an inquiry already settling on the tip of his tongue, but then he remembers why they joined this league in the first place and he deflates just as fast. He could feel the Pyroar’s concerned gaze on him as he placed down his half-full drink on a nearby table.</p><p>“We...we’re going to part ways when we get there.”</p><p>‘Yeol widened his eyes at the reveal, yet he didn’t seem to be as surprised as Jongdae expected. <em> “Damn, and I thought the little champ was joking.” </em></p><p>“He told you?”</p><p><em> “Just the gist of it. Best of luck getting that feather-thing, by the way.” </em> Yeol chuckled, the rumble of his entire figure making Baekhyun shift deeper into his mane. <em> “But why keep searching for something like that when you’ve already found your own happiness?” </em></p><p>Now it was Jongdae’s turn to be confused. “What?”</p><p><em> “And I thought I was dense.” </em> He heard ‘Yeol mutter before the Pokémon abruptly stood up. Unfortunately, Baekhyun wasn’t conscious of the sudden movement (was he even conscious?) and he ended up sprawled on the floor for all to see. <em> “Help me put Baek on my back. I need to show you something.” </em></p><p>After a series of twists and turns down the largest hallways the Raichu had ever seen, the little posse found themselves on a terrace overlooking the majority of the city. But what really took Jongdae’s breath away was the stadium shining in the distance, donning all of its lights despite the Winter League being finished.</p><p>
  <em> “How did you feel?” </em>
</p><p>Jongdae was startled out of his thoughts. “How did I…? What?”</p><p><em> “I got a feeling this was your first time in this scene. You barely called any of the attacks right during the elimination rounds, after all.” </em> ‘Yeol snorts, laying down slowly so that his passenger stays on. <em> “Min also told me that you weren’t that welcoming of the fights at first.” </em></p><p>“Well, it was surely interesting. I was definitely hesitant in the first few rounds, as you had told.” Jongdae began hesitantly, “But the more I looked at it as more of a competition than an actual battle, the more I got into it, I guess.”</p><p><em> “You must have felt it too, huh?” </em> The Pyroar hums, <em> “The rush of adrenaline during the clash as you call your strikes and counters, the euphoria of seeing your partner clash against their opponent with as grace as dancers on a stage. It’s feeling the joy and tension all at the same time that creates a feeling that you wouldn’t find anywhere.” </em></p><p>Jongdae chuckled, “You sound like you’ve lived through it all.”</p><p><em> “You’re not the first hybrid who disguised himself as a trainer.” </em> Even though the Raichu kept his eyes on the stadium, he could hear the cheeky smile ‘Yeol was donning. <em> “But I digress. Even though you’re not the one who’s on the field, what your partner feels, you feel too. And that’s the magic of Pokémon battles.” </em></p><p>“But Pokémon battles won’t make me happy.” The Raichu counters, “Sure they’re fun and all at first, but there will come a time where I’d just get bored of it all, you know?”</p><p><em> “I do.” </em> He turns his neck around to gaze at the trainer sleeping soundly on him. <em> “But not with the right partner. You still have a life outside the battling, after all. Every single thing you do with them, you’ll surely treasure.” </em></p><p>Jongdae’s mind settles back to moments throughout their travel. He thinks of their training in between the treks and the weird encounter they had with the odd group of Red-somethings and their Pokémon. Heck, even the memories of the most mundane parts of their walk were memorable for him all because of...because of…</p><p>“Minseok.” Jongdae breathed out, “B-but what he wants is a trainer. How would I be able to give him what he wants?”</p><p>
  <em> “For starters, you’re already one, aren’t you?”  </em>
</p><p>“I...” Jongdae was at a loss for words. “But what if all I’m feeling is just a fluke? What if I’m bound to lose this spark someday?”</p><p><em> “Every battle will feel like your first when you’re with the right one, and more!” </em> Chanyeol exclaimed, laughing heartily when Jongdae jumped at his loud baritone voice. <em> “There are some things the world’s greatest Pokémon can’t give that the ones right before you can, but one often realizes it a bit too late. I almost did.” </em></p><p>Jongdae turned away from the stadium in favor of looking at one of the giant buildings beside it. A few lights dotted its surface before his eyes settled on the one on the seventh row on the far left, where he knew their suite was located. He thinks of Minseok curled up in the fluffy white sheets, only his fluffy hair and long ears poking out of what he called his “blanket burrito” or whatever it was. </p><p>What started as a simple companionship had definitely grown into something more. He had felt it. But he had been too afraid to entertain the fact and entered this event on a whim just to speed up their travel, but look how that turned out.</p><p>
  <em> “So, what will you choose?” </em>
</p><p>Jongdae stared at ‘Yeol for a moment before taking a step back, then another, then another. He gazed at the open window of their suite once more, then he turns around and <em> sprints. </em></p><p>The bright city streets became a blur to Jongdae as he reached the hotel they were staying at in a quarter of the time it took him to reach the location of the after-event, the winter wind still howling in his ears and making him shiver, yet nothing could stop him from his only goal now. </p><p>His heart was pounding sporadically in his chest, yet he knew it wasn’t from the seven flights of stairs he had taken in lieu of the strange metal box that took them up and down the building. Only a door was in the way of him and his future, and he would be damned if he didn’t see a certain Glaceon in them.</p><p>“Min! I...”</p><p>A frigid breeze was the first one to greet Jongdae once he cracked open the door, cutting off any of his advances and what he was about to say. Confused, the Raichu all but shoved the door open and was absolutely floored at what he saw.</p><p>Icicles were hanging from every horizontal surface that there is in their room, including the ceiling. Frost and ice had settled on everything else, but they were either jagged or shaped in a way that was unsettling to see, patterned in a way that it was impossible to assume that it was made with rationality. </p><p>Jongdae’s first instinct was to panicked call for his companion, but then his eyes settled on the small, unmoving lump in front of the open television and the cry died out in his mouth as he ran towards what could possibly be the Glaceon. </p><p>“Oh Arceus, Min I thought you—”</p><p>But before he could kneel to get a better look at it, he heard a deep chuckle come from the lump on the floor and made him stop in his tracks.</p><p>“All this time...”</p><p>Before Jongdae could even comprehend what was said, the television suddenly began to play. Squinting his eyes at the bright screen, it seemed to be zoomed into him rather than the fight itself, and it took him another moment to realize what was at stake.</p><p>“Minseok, I don’t think it’s—”</p><p>
  <em> “This is it, the moment of truth! Who will be the first to take down the other?!”  </em>
</p><p>To his horror, the camera caught him discreetly stepping towards the metal platform and his tail snaking out of his robe, a spark of lightning leaving the bolt-shaped appendage before the screen zoomed back out to the original scene. The sparks were subtle and hidden underneath the mist, but it still could be attributed to the main reason why the Infernape suddenly went still. Jongdae paled.</p><p>The television paused just before the attack reached its peak before Minseok crawled out of the frozen sheets, glaring at Jongdae with his red-rimmed eyes as tears continued sliding down his cheeks and into the worn-out shirt that he borrowed from the other.</p><p>“Why...why did you do this?”</p><p>Jongdae hung his head.“You know...just in case...” He snapped his head up as he attempted to try and explain. “B-but I wasn’t thinking, I swear! We don’t need to—”</p><p>“In case of what?” Minseok cut off, giving him a scrutinizing look before it dawned on his features. “You didn’t think I could win.”</p><p>The fact that Minseok sounded more resolute than questioning made Jongdae feel even worse than before as he struggled to come up with the right words to explain himself.</p><p>“I just wanted to help!”</p><p>“You just wanted to help yourself!” The cyan-furred hybrid seethed, a flurry suddenly blooming around them. “Everything you said to me that night, all the reassurances, encouragement...you said you believed!”</p><p>“But I do!” Jongdae sputtered, stepping towards the other in desperation despite the hail cutting through his skin. “If you could just let me explain—”</p><p>Minseok moved several steps back in turn. “Stay away from me, you fucking liar!” </p><p>The flurry slowed down into a halt as the hybrid pressed himself against the wall. “You...you said you believed...in me...”</p><p>“Min...”</p><p>“No more lies, Jongdae. Tell me,” Minseok looked at the other with saddened eyes, “Did you believe I can win?”</p><p>“‘I did, Min.” The Raichu responds, “I really did, and still do.”</p><p>“Then why?” He seethed, not missing a beat. “Why give me a handicap when you knew I could do it?”</p><p>Jongdae stared at the other for a beat before he averted his gaze, hanging his head sadly. “I...I don’t know, but—”</p><p>The broken laughter that Minseok let out brought tears to Jongdae’s eyes, a mix of stress and frustration for his past actions coming to bite him in the ass in a way he never expected.</p><p>“I can’t believe I trusted you.” Minseok chuckled mirthlessly and curled into himself. “You’re just like that Infernape, just like my fucking <em> trainer. </em> No, they were outright with their hate for me. You... <em> you </em>fucking played me.”</p><p>“Minseok, please just listen to me!”</p><p>“And then what? You’ll feed me with more of your lies?” He stands up and wipes at his face with the back of his hand. “I’ve had enough, Jongdae.”</p><p>“Minseok, wait!” Jongdae tries to step forward, only to stumble over himself as the soles of his boots clung tight to the frozen carpet. An exasperated growl exited Jongdae’s throat as he tried to rip them off the floor, but they were firmly planted on the snow-covered floor.</p><p>Turning away from his cold feet, the Raichu called for the retreating Glaceon once more and it worked somewhat, with the latter pausing under the open doorway as light filtered in the semi-dark room. </p><p>“But you know what? Good for you, Jongdae.”Minseok sneered, “At least one of us will have their happy ending.”</p><p>And with that, the door was slammed shut.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Upgrade</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mt. Tane’s Peak should have definitely felt colder than the lowland city they departed from, but for Jongdae, it had felt all the same; cold and unforgiving. It nipped at his nose the moment they exited the long tubular vehicle that they call an airplane and stayed with him the whole journey to the little town beside where they had touched down.</p><p>Fighting off the instinctual urge to curl into himself and sleep the days away, the Electric-type pulled his arms higher in his sleeves to protect them from the chilly breeze as he dragged his feet through the cobblestone path. It was a quaint little town, almost endearing to look at if it weren’t for the heavy clouds overcast and the light fog that surrounded the entire area. </p><p>Such perfect weather for what’s to come.</p><p>Eighteen hours ago, he came to the greatest realization in his entire life thanks to a certain Pyroar. He had lived through the best moments in his life prior to that too. Jongdae felt like he had his entire life figured out, but like the sandcastle he’d seen that was too close to the water, it was bound to crumble and fall. And in a blink of an eye, it did.</p><p>His selfish desire to prove to the others that he can, in fact, magically get eternal happiness from meeting one of the Legendaries and receive its multicolored feather had led to one of the worst memories he had. How ironic. </p><p>Looking ahead of him, he could see Minseok matching his pace so he could sustain the distance between them while looking wistfully at all the town had to offer. But unlike when they were in the city, Minseok wasn’t as bouncy, wasn’t as excitable in the new environment. His reserved demeanor was still present here despite completely abandoning it the moment he pranced around the streets of Megalo City.</p><p>But what pained Jongdae the most was how he kept turning almost halfway to his side, mouth open as if he was to narrate something before he realized there was no one there and continued his trek as if nothing happened. Though, if Jongdae was quick enough, he could see him glance back every once in a while, eyes swimming in a mixture of different emotions before it hardens into indifference and he turns away once more.</p><p>It felt like they were back to being strangers—No, even so, they still valued each other’s company despite knowing close to nothing about the other. They started as strangers, came together, and drifted even further apart. </p><p>And that’s going to be it.</p><p>Right at the very end of the town, almost bordering the forest that surrounds all of the log cabins and light-dotted houses, was their final destination.</p><p>“Mt. Tane’s Peak Pokémon Nursery and Daycare.”</p><p>Jongdae opened the map for what may be the last time to check the location and the name of the place. It had definitely been a while and renovations were made so that the faded picture didn’t look quite as similar to what the house was now, but their simple red and green logo was still the same, so this just might be Minseok’s last stop.</p><p>Opening the door, the place was an oddly empty bar the counter and the machine trainers use to store and release their Pokémon in the far corner of the dull room. A fine coat of dust could even be seen gracing its screen and buttons, but hey, perhaps the owners were too busy to clean the only thing in the room.</p><p>And speaking of the owner, there he was right behind the counter, talking loudly to the phone in his hand about shipments and time constraints. He most definitely wasn’t the grandmother that was posing in front of the place in the map’s picture, quite the opposite. He was burly, short, and Jongdae could feel the stress the buttons on his shirt were feeling as they tried to cling to the other side.</p><p>“E-excuse me?” He managed to squeak out.</p><p>Fortunately, this garnered the other’s attention as he gave him a side-eye and a “go away” gesture, but once his eyes settled on Minseok, he immediately ended his call with a sickly saccharine grin directed at Jongdae, and the latter tired his best not to narrow his eyes at his odd demeanor.</p><p>“And what can I do for you?” The voice was rough and gravelly, but not the worst sound in the world.</p><p>“I uh, I’m retiring from being a trainer,” Jongdae follows his act with a sad sigh. “And I don’t think I could take care of my Glaceon anymore. He deserves better.”</p><p>The man’s grin widens. “Don’t worry, sir. Your precious battle ‘Mon will be in good hands. You have my word.”</p><p>Opening the gate to the back, the garden was barren with no other Pokémon in sight. Jongdae furrowed his brows at this as he turned towards the man with an inquiring look. The man waved his concern away with another gesture of his hand.</p><p>“They prefer the forest over this small patch of land.” He snorts, moving back to sit once more on the rickety-old swivel chair. “Feel free to say your goodbyes, but make it quick.”</p><p>The two hybrids stare at each other for a silent moment before Minseok was the first one to turn away, bounding towards the outside in quick leaps before disappearing into the forest. It was the man’s turn to give a questioning stare at Jongdae but the latter had already turned away before he could ask and exited the building just as his sight blurred.</p><p>Running towards the opposite side of the forest, he ripped away all his clothing as soon as he entered the thick tree line before shifting back into his original form. From then on, he ran.</p><p>With no indication of time or anything to go by, Jongdae ran and ran until his body had completely shut down on him. He collapses under the fifty-third Evergreen he had encountered as his tiny, rapid breaths and the erratic beating of his heart was the only broken symphony that kept him company. But not even exhaustion could compare the ache in his chest as his mind replayed his last moments with his companion.</p><p>Minseok.</p><p>Even the mere thought of his name brought a fresh wave of tears to well up in his eyes as he fought to blink it away, lest he faced the consequences of having liquids in a snowy biome. But despite his best efforts, his mind kept wandering towards the Glaceon and he just wished he had known sooner, wished that he took a different route,</p><p>Wished that he hadn’t met him at all.</p><p>He lingered on the last thought more than he would have liked to admit. If that had happened, where was he now? Back in Seasons Forest with his denmates, most probably. He could be picking berries with Yixing now or getting chased by a pissed Kyungsoo for eating most of what they prepared for the winter despite Jongin handing it over to him willingly.</p><p>But he would have still argued with them every time two trainers battled each other near their place, spouting exaggerated claims all about how Pokémon fights were the worst thing that was created on the surface of the world. He would have stayed cooped up in their den with his books rather than exploring and seeing their content for himself.</p><p>If he hadn’t met Minseok, he felt like wouldn’t have discovered a part of him that he thought he never had.</p><p>A part of him that now, he had lost.</p><p>Sitting up against the Evergreen’s bark, Jongdae took a deep breath as he tried to continue with a clearer mindset. That part of him, the one that made blush deeply at Minseok’s compliments, laugh along with his cloud-like laughter, and act like a bumbling Primape the moment he sees his eyes on him. He had feared it to the point that he chose to enter the Winter League just to speed up their adventure and get it over with.</p><p>But in his apprehension, he had failed to see how much their interactions meant to him. Now, he’d get to live his life yearning for that part of him for eternity.</p><p>
  <em> Unless… </em>
</p><p>If there was one thing to take away from all of this, it’s that all of Jongdae’s mistakes all stem from his impulsiveness in deciding his next step towards his future. </p><p>That alone should have stopped him from picking his sorry self back up, but before he could even give it another thought, he was already sprinting back towards the town. Moping around won’t do shit to his situation now. It was time for him to fix what he had broken.</p><p></p><div class="center">
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</div><p>It took him far too long to find his boots in the snow, but he had dressed as quick as he could before bursting into the tiny town once more. The starless night made itself known now that the shade of the trees was gone and it felt like it would start its snowfall any moment now, but Jongdae only had his focus on the tiny house at the end of the opposite side of the town.</p><p>Sashaying between another flock of trainers and their Pokémon, Jongdae went over the spiel he haphazardly mashed together as he traveled through the forest, yet he still took great care of his words and made sure that his main points were clearly stated. He wasn’t about to beat around the bush this time. </p><p>Slinking into the ajar door, Jongdae opened his mouth to catch the attention of the owner as he was once again on the phone with his back turned towards him, but the topic of his conversation with whoever was on the other side was too intriguing to pass up the moment he heard “Red Force”.</p><p>“Can you believe it? A thousand Pokédollars for just a baker’s dozen of Pokémon today!” He cheered, “I knew I hit the jackpot when I got that Ice-type from that retiring trainer. Yeah, yeah, he looked a little too young to use that excuse, but who cares! Beers on—”</p><p>The man turned around and immediately froze at the sight of Jongdae, almost dropping the phone in surprise before sputtering an excuse to the person at the other end as he hung up. Turning around, he quickly shouted a “go away” at Jongdae, but the hybrid wasn’t having it.</p><p>“Where’s Minseok?” He demanded.</p><p>“Min-what? The Glaceon? It’s not yours anymore, boy.” The man grumbled, “I kept my word. He’s in the good hands of another trainer now.”</p><p>“That stack of cash on your table begs to differ.” Jongdae snapped. He could feel his hackles rising from underneath his damp hat, yet he kept his cool as much as possible. “Who the fuck did you sold Minseok to?”</p><p>The man was surprised by his outburst, but he unfortunately recovered from the initial shock and scoffed instead, taking the stack before putting it inside a creaky drawer. “What’s it to ya?”</p><p>“This is my partner we’re talking about! And you sold him!”</p><p>“I told you, it’s not yours anymore.” He waved off absentmindedly as he continued fixing the messy desk before grabbing the keys hanging from a nail on the wall. “Now fuck off to your mommy. She’ll just buy you a new one after she dries you off.”</p><p>But as he moved towards the exit, Jongdae sidesteps to block his way. “Who bought my Glaceon?”</p><p>“Kid, I told you a thousand times—”</p><p>His back was on the floor before he could even comprehend what was happening. Blinking blearily at the ceiling, the man groans and tries to stand up, only to freeze at the sight of the yellow bolt-end of a Raichu’s tail at his chest. He looks around in an attempt to try and find the Electric-type, but he trails his eyes to see the thin, black appendage leading back to Jongdae.</p><p>“Y-you’re a—!”</p><p> </p><p>“Where. Is. My. Glaceon?”</p><p> </p><p>“The Red Force bought it. The Red Force!” The man squealed, “They have a pickup truck that’s probably leaving the town now!”</p><p>Without any moment to lose, Jongdae shifted back to his Pokémon form before dashing outside and back into the streets. Children and trainers alike were cooing at the sudden appearance of the fully evolved Electric-type, yet he paid them no attention as he scouted for what the man claimed the vehicle the Red Force were using.</p><p>And the moment he saw one of them just round the exit, Jongdae vaulted towards its direction.</p><p>The cobblestone path soon turned into a mixture of snow and damp soil as he continued tailing the large vehicle, yet having dirty paws was the least of his concerns now. His biggest one was the contents of the cage on the farthest right at the back of the pickup truck.</p><p>
  <em> “Minseok!” </em>
</p><p>A wave of relief surged in his system the moment he saw the light-blue lump shift and lift his head up from where he was laying on, but as the truck accelerated, he knew he had to pick up the pace. He needed to get on the truck and free the Glaceon.</p><p>Just before Jongdae was looking around to find anything that might help him in his rescue mission, the scenery suddenly changed from a plethora of trees to a rock wall on one side of the trail as an incline on the path was beginning to make itself known to the Raichu. They were going higher and higher up the mountain, and one peek at the other side of the path doesn’t even show how far up they were (or at all, considering that it was just a foggy pitch-black abyss).</p><p>Jongdae shivered, keeping himself as far away from the edge as possible while trying to tail the moving vehicle. He knew he can’t just try and leap up the back of the pickup truck, lest he risks bouncing off its bumper instead of on top of it. He needed some kind of elevation.</p><p>And like the few pebbles that flew out of nowhere and hit Jongdae directly on the snout, an idea shot into his mind as soon as he caught sight of what he had on his right.</p><p>Diverting from the trail, the Raichu swiftly hopped from one ledge on the wall to another, keeping his balance in check as he went higher and higher while keeping his pace the same as the truck's so as not extend their gap even further. His heart was thrashing restlessly in his chest at the thought of what he was about to do, but before he could give it a second or third thought, he veered to the side and jumped.</p><p>Jongdae had never felt so relieved to feel the scratchy tarp meet his fur as he landed not-so-gracefully on his side with a loud crash. Claws outstretched, he dug them deeper into the dark cover as he jostled around with the moving truck. The noise would have alerted the men inside, and so he needed to act fast.</p><p>Scampering towards the edge, Jongdae hooked his long tail on one of the ties keeping the tarp from flying off before lowering himself down. </p><p>At any other given situation, Jongdae would have laughed at the dumbfounded expression Minseok was sporting right now, but he knew now was not the time. Fidgeting with the door of the cage, he started fidgeting with every single thing that his small paws could get to.</p><p>“Jongdae, you...” Minseok trailed off, trying to find his words amidst everything that was happening around them. “Why are you…?”</p><p>“I told you, Min. It’s always going to be you and me ‘til the end.” Jongdae grinned, “You’re not getting away that easily.”</p><p>“But I thought—”</p><p>Jongdae turned away from the lock to look at the somber Glaceon. “Look, I’ve been a selfish asshole and there’s no excuse for what I did. I don’t deserve the Rainbow Feather if it’s at the expense of crushing someone who wanted nothing but the best for me.”</p><p>“Min, I’m sorry...” His ears pull back in shame.“I...I—” </p><p>“What the-? Gengar, get out here now!”</p><p>Perking up at the call, he glanced behind him as it was followed up with the ever-familiar sound of a Pokéball opening and a quick flash of white. Sharing one last worried glance with Minseok, Jongdae already raised himself before the other was able to talk him out of it. Raising his gaze, the Raichu finds himself face-to-face with the bipedal shadow Pokémon, its bloodshot eyes piercing through his soul.</p><p>From the shotgun, the man was barking out orders at his Pokémon before wildly pointing at him, and he knew he was in unfamiliar territory.</p><p>“Knock it off the truck. Sucker Punch!”</p><p>Jongdae dodged the large purple body that moved towards him, ducking once more to avoid the terrifying claws that followed mere seconds after. With the entirety of his attention fixed on his opponent, he knew he was at a major disadvantage as the only physical moves he knew wouldn’t do anything to the Ghost-type.</p><p>He had to think of something to best the Gengar, but the only way he knew how was to—</p><p>“Shock it!”</p><p>Jongdae pales at Minseok’s call of attack. He was going to use his abilities once more, but what if he messes up? The only time he used his lightning willingly bore great consequences. What if he’ll do more harm than good?</p><p>Dodging another swipe from the Gengar, Jongdae unhooked the tarp and kicked it over his opponent to buy him some time as he charged up his attack. A simple shock would paralyze it and give him enough time to free Minseok and leap off the truck. All he needed to do was to channel his powers from his core. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tries, and he tries.</p><p>But nothing happened.</p><p>Panic spiked up his system as the familiar buzz that came with his abilities was absent. Nada. It was gone.</p><p>“Jongdae!”</p><p>Looking up at the cry, Jongdae was a second too late as the Gengar suddenly appeared from his own shadow before its claws sunk into its skin.</p><p>His vision wavered the moment he felt its fangs pierce through his hide, the unmistakable churning feeling in his stomach suddenly appearing and making him double over from the pain that was coming and going in patterned pulses. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton and his limbs weren’t cooperating with him, making it hard to stand his ground against the...who...who was he fighting against?</p><p>Through his blurry sight, he could see the gleam of the Gengar’s eyes before he was tossed off the truck with its powerful grip. But instead of meeting solid ground, he suddenly felt weightless, the wind whistling in his ears the only being the only accompaniment to Minseok’s cries until they slowly quietened and darkness ultimately consumed him.</p><p></p><div class="center">
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</div><p>Jongdae felt warm, or at least, the warmest he had in a long time.</p><p>Though his senses felt muddled from the remaining bits of sleep and fatigue, Jongdae flickered his ears as his first instinctual action to check his surroundings, though it was odd that he kept hitting something soft and fuzzy instead of the damp, hard ground. Where was he?</p><p>His pounding head may not contribute much to an answer, yet the daze wasn’t enough to make him forget about what had happened before he blacked out. </p><p>He jolts upright, uncaring of how the sudden light blinds him for a few moments as he snaps his eyes open to survey wherever he may have landed. If the Gengar’s attack was enough to make him faint, a fall from that height might do a lot worse than that. But as his vision cleared, instead of seeing rocks and vegetation surrounding his battered figure, what he saw was quite the opposite.</p><p>“W-what?”</p><p>As simple as the room looked like at first glance, it still held the unmistakable feeling of posh and luxury held within the finer details that most of the furniture in the room had. The fall must be worse than he thought if it was able to make him hallucinate such an odd yet lavish place to wake up in. Jongdae didn’t even want to entertain the <em> other </em>idea beyond that thought. </p><p>Throwing away the deep cerulean sheets that covered his furred body, Jongdae flew out of the bed, only to realize that his hind paws were just as jelly-like as any other limb he had before he topples over with a yelp. But despite this setback, he wasn’t about to be discouraged. He still has to get back to Minseok, he needs to—</p><p>“Careful, the salve won’t work as well if you keep moving like a beached Magikarp.”</p><p>Jongdae froze at the voice, the telltale feeling of familiarity grasping at the edge of his mind, yet too far for him to actually remember who it belongs to. He wasn’t going to get his answers now if he keeps avoiding it, is he? And so, as he took a deep breath, Jongdae raised his head with eyes glaring in defiance at who was with him in that room.</p><p>Only to widen them in shock at the reveal.</p><p><em> “Suho,” </em> Jongdae breathed out, <em> “How—what, I—” </em></p><p>“Shh, patience. You’ll get your answers.” He said as he gave a warm smile. “But we must wait for a very dear friend...and the infiltration plans.”</p><p> Jongdae gaped at the man as he struggled to pull himself up with the bed cover. <em> “The what?” </em></p><p>“Infiltration plans, Jongdae.” He repeats as if he was talking about the weather. “All will be answered in due time, don’t worry.”</p><p>Jongdae rolled his eyes, opening his snout to speak his mind once more before the CEO’s words finally sunk into his mind. Whatever spiel he had about not falling for the leader’s manipulative tricks and how he’ll free himself and Minseok from his dirty clutches was replaced with a single question.</p><p><em> “You know who I am?” </em> Another realization hits and he almost trips in the process. <em> “You could understand me??” </em></p><p>Just before Suho lets out another reassurance to wave off his concerns momentarily, a cry broke through the relative silence before a maroon and blue blur zipped into the room through the window. The wind that was stirred up by the blur, now Jongdae recognizes as a Braviary, caused quite a mess in the room. </p><p>But glancing back at Suho, the man (was he even human?) wasn’t even the least bit surprised. Exasperation mirrors in his features, but not one speck of disdain can be seen in his eyes, quite the contrary, actually.</p><p>“And I thought having a guest over will make you use the door.” He rolls his eyes, his serious demeanor vanishing in a blink of an eye. “But you’re that stubborn, aren’t you Sehunnie?”</p><p>The bird Pokémon caws incessantly as he drops the objects he was holding in his claws before touching down on the carpet. But as he sets foot on the ground, the Braviary’s feathers start receding as he grows taller and taller until a nude blonde man steps out of the mess of fallen feathers and papers. Jongdae couldn’t believe it.</p><p><em> “You...you’re the man we met in the stadium! And-and when an explosion occurred on Megalo’s main street!” </em> Jongdae reeled back for a moment. <em> “Don’t tell me you were also the one behind that.” </em></p><p>The man, Sehunnie, shrugged his broad shoulders as he sauntered over the cabinet and pulled out the first suit inside. “Alright, I won’t.”</p><p>“Don’t mind Sehun, he’s always acting like this tough bodyguard.” Suho chuckled, “But trust me, he couldn’t even light a firecracker without screeching like a Slaking.”</p><p>This led to the Braviary to give the CEO a frown that looked more like a pout than the expression he was trying to match his distaste towards the other, and all of the prior assumptions Jongdae had about Sehun being a stone-faced spy was thrown out of the window. Who really are these people and where was he?</p><p>As if Suho had heard of his plight, he turned back to the Raichu with a comforting smile. “Anyway, we’re in one of our main safehouses in Mt. Tane’s Peak. We’ll be finalizing our strategies here before we set off tonight.”</p><p><em> “Safehouses? Tonight?” </em> Jongdae was even more perplexed than before. <em> “What in Mew’s name are you talking about? What even </em> <b> <em>happened</em></b><em>?” </em></p><p>After a look at a simple gesture towards him from Suho, Sehun finished off buttoning down his shirt and began his narration. </p><p>“Basically you took a nasty Poison Sting from that Gengar and were thrown off the side of the mountain. I was tasked to keep an eye on you, saved you from the fall, and brought you here to heal you up.”</p><p><em> “Wait, so you’re not one of them?” </em> Jongdae scrunched his nose. <em> “You’re not with the Red group that almost caught us back in Seasons Forest?” </em></p><p>Suho looked close to offended at the accusation. “And why would I associate myself with those slithery Ekans? They’re the groups who we’re fighting against, after all.”</p><p>“In other words, we’re a coveted hybrid-run organization hiding behind a ruse of Pokémon battle company.” The Braviary continued, “We specialize in protecting Pokémon, hybrid or not,  and taking down groups that trade and sell Pokémon for their schemes. Suho here is our leader.”</p><p>Taking it as a cue, Suho gave a bow and from Jongdae’s perspective, he could see two blue flaps uncurling from his semi-blue hair and straightening until two elongated ears stood proudly on top of his hair. He then tilted his head to look over the other’s behind, yet Suho chuckled and waved him off.</p><p>“My tail’s tucked in my pants. It’s uncomfortable, but it helps me blend in with the humans better.” He said, “Our recruits are often surprised when they find out I’m a peaceful Water-type but don’t underestimate this Azumarill.”</p><p>“He’s not very intimidating,” Sehun mentions, “But he <em> does </em>have this charming voice that’s oddly persuasive. It’s his Hidden Ability.”</p><p>Jongdae’s mind momentarily flashes back to their first meeting in the stadium, how he was so enamored with everything Suho had to say before greatly fearing for his life when the CEO asked him to keep mum about the offer he declined. Everything makes so much sense now...well, almost.</p><p>“Going back to the task at hand, we’ll be raiding one of these organizations tonight. You know the Red Force, right?” Suho questions </p><p>“They’ve become very active lately, being our main suspect in all of the missing Pokémon cases most of the time. The explosion back in Megalo City? It was caused by them after they tried to take me down for stealing their blueprints.” Sehun then gestured to the papers on the ground.</p><p>“Whatever they have up their sleeve isn’t just happening in Mt. Tane’s Peak and we’ll do whatever we can to stop it.”</p><p>
  <em> “We?” </em>
</p><p>Suho nods, “We’ll need as much help as we could get. That organization is a force to be reckoned with. For one, they definitely have the numbers to prove it.”</p><p>“But fortunately for us, manpower doesn’t equal overall strength. They still rely on their Pokémon to defend themselves, but meanwhile we,” Suho raised his hand and the water from the nearby vase swam in the air before it was thrown outside the window. “Have nature as our ally.”</p><p>Suddenly, Jongdae felt conscious of his own abilities. Eyeing his own paws in apprehension, he opens and closes them in patterns as if something would come out of them before dropping them back to his sides. No matter how hard he searched for the spark in his core, it seems like it dissipated the moment he used it for his own personal gain.</p><p><em> “B-but I can’t help with these sorts of things. I can’t control my abilities.” </em> He tries to reason.</p><p>Suho tilts his head in question at the Raichu. “Perhaps a push might be able to help you?”</p><p>
  <em> “A what—” </em>
</p><p>Jongdae felt as if his eyes popped out from their sockets as the missing thrum in his core howled back into life with as much vigor as one would have during a Pokémon battle or a life-or-death situation the moment Suho raised his palm towards him. Unfortunately, Jongdae was in neither situation, yet he still held as much of the energy inside him, threatening to exit out from the surface of his skin.</p><p>And without proper knowledge on how to suppress it, it did.</p><p>The smell of Ozone was pungent enough to irritate his nose, yet Jongdae didn’t feel like the discharge was stopping anytime soon. It felt surreal yet terrifying at the same time, and Jongdae was sure he was bound to hit something - or someone - with the uncontrollable ropes of electricity. </p><p>It took a few more minutes for the discharge to fade, but by the end of it, he was beat. Looking up, seeing both Suho and Sehun hiding behind the forest-green screen that the latter made had somewhat reassured him that no one had been hurt, but still. Someone <em>could </em>have been hurt by his powers.</p><p>
  <em> “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—” </em>
</p><p>“Don’t apologize, it was with no ill intent, nor was it intended at all.” Suho waved off. “If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me. I shouldn’t have pushed you like that.”</p><p>“But I’ve got to admit, it was pretty ace.” Sehun chimed in, “You almost broke through my Protect, and that wasn’t even guided.”</p><p><em> “And that’s the problem, I </em> <b> <em>can’t </em> </b> <em> guide it.” </em> The Raichu sat down tiredly on the carpeted floor. <em> “I can’t do anything good with it. Perhaps Kyungsoo was right. Maybe I’m not cut out for these things.” </em></p><p>“Ah, yes. He’s often right about things whenever he speaks up, but perhaps not this one.” At Jongdae’s incredulous stare, Suho chuckled, “I have eyes all around the region, Jongdae. How else would I know all about you?”</p><p><em> “I—we...wow. I don’t know what to expect anymore.” </em> Jongdae responds honestly. <em> “But at least that kind of explains his routines and, well, how he got a phone. Does that mean he’s also part of this organization?” </em></p><p>Suho shook his head. “Kyungsoo and I just so happened to meet at the right time and place. He was also one of the hybrids who declined a spot in the organization, but he still helps in scouting in the South.” The CEO briefly explains, “We communicate regularly and he has been wanting me to congratulate you on your win, amongst other questions as they are too many to specify.”</p><p>“Your use of your abilities there was very crucial, though,” Sehun mentioned. “In the league, I mean.”</p><p>Jongdae did a double-take. <em> “Y-you saw? </em>” </p><p>“We’ve seen it in the replays. Had to pull it out of the mainstream and cut your cameo from the screen because of it too, but it wasn’t that much of a problem.” The Braviary added.</p><p>The fact that even other hybrids who were not part of the battle could have been affected by his careless actions by showcasing to the public that they exist brought another wave of self-hate and disappointment through the Electric-type. All the negativity he felt was starting to connect itself to his abilities and while that sounded horrible, he couldn’t find it in himself to be surprised.</p><p>Jongdae places his head in his paws as his ears drooped down to the sides of his head. <em> “It doesn’t matter now. The damage’s been done.” </em></p><p>Suho perked up at his somber attitude. “What damage? Had other people found out?”</p><p><em> “No, no, it’s just,” </em> The mouse Pokémon buried his head deeper into his stubby hands. <em> “Minseok found out and he was furious. I tried to explain and I knew he could win all on his own, but...” </em></p><p>“But? Why’d you still do it?”</p><p><em> “I don’t know!” </em> Jongdae stood up, exasperated as he tried to relay everything in one breath. <em> “I blanked out for a moment and my instincts took over and I didn’t know what was happening until...until it happened. The rest is history.” </em></p><p>The two other hybrids exchange worried expressions as Sehun stepped forward. “I honestly don’t see anything wrong with that.”</p><p>Jongdae snorts, <em> “Don’t you get it? I lost my only companion because of my selfishness.” </em></p><p>“And who said it was selfish? It was instinctual, an action spawned from a primal fear of a particular event. Our body acts on instinct to avoid these fears from coming into fruition.”</p><p>
  <em> “But what did I have to fear? We were battling in a controlled environment with fixed rules and regulations to keep our partners safe.” </em>
</p><p>“But in its very basic form, it’s still a Pokémon battle. Anything is bound to happen in them.”</p><p>Ironically, the more he argues with the CEO, the more he realizes how the tables have turned since the very beginning of their journey. He used to be such a staunch opponent of these kinds of fights, yet look where he was now. He was defending the other side of the spectrum he’d sworn to hate. He paused and took a step back, feeling more confused than ever before. What does he truly believe in now?</p><p>Seeing that Jongdae wasn’t going to respond, Suho continued. “You’ve seen Minseok hurt before, and it was all because of the opponent that you’ve also faced off in the finals. Your fear wasn’t directed on losing, but on seeing Minseok get sent back to the Pokémon Center again because of their battle.”</p><p>“Fear is a powerful emotion, but it’s time you use it for development rather than regression.” He kneels down in front of the mouse Pokémon. “You’ve seen the beauty of Pokémon battles for their grace and charm, but when you take it outside of competitions, it’s a matter of protecting those who you keep close to your heart because you can.”</p><p>“The world could be a dangerous place, especially for our kind, but that’s why we’re here.” Suho places a comforting hand on the Raichu’s head. “And that’s why we’re putting a stop to the Red Force once and for all.”</p><p>Silence wallowed in the room for a few moments as both parties had reached to their conclusion on the matter. Taking a step back from the quiet Raichu, Suho wasn’t sure if any of his words made an impact on the other the more the latter remained still from where he sat, but at least he could say that he had tried. </p><p>Turning away from the other, Suho gestured for Sehun to lay down the blueprints and files on the floor to finalize their planning, but as soon as he had placed the last remaining graph on the sidelines to examine later, a soft voice permeated in the air. </p><p>
  <em> “Where will we start?” </em>
</p><p>Sharing a look with Sehun, Suho gave a nod and accepted the device the other handed towards him. He showed the screen to the hesitant Raichu before turning it on, letting him marvel at the sight of a red blinking dot on a simplified rendition of a map.</p><p>“Let’s get started.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Destiny Bond</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The hallways were drenched in a red hue as deep and blaring alarms pierced Jongdae’s ears once every other second. It was starting to annoy him and most of his group, but with them handling the floors adjacent to its control center, it wasn’t a problem that they needed to deal with. Right now, they were focused on finding where the Red Force kept their Pokémon captives.</p><p>Suddenly, a Haunter appeared through a wall and charged straight towards then, its claws shining a bright purple as it readied its attack. But before it could even reach the group, Jongdae had already pointed his bolt-shaped tail at the attacker and brought it down with a powerful shock. He receives an approving nod from Suho before they open another door, yet they still came up empty in the end.</p><p>“Still not one cage.” The leader grumbles, the Azumarill raising his paw-like hand to his in-ear system. “Team Byul to EXO, ground floor has been cleared. No sign of them either. We’ll be moving towards the basement.”</p><p>With their leader’s signal, the pack of hybrids darted through the long and twisted hallways filled with unconscious Pokémon and the occasional scientist before they stopped right before a door bolted shut. Suho grunts before gesturing at Sehun then the door, to which the Flying-type complies.</p><p>Raising his wide wings, the Braviary only sent two strong Gusts before their obstacles were blown off their hinges. Irene, their Ampharos, then stepped forward before lighting her tail to battle the darkness that was in the staircase as they began their descent. </p><p>The atmosphere was turning colder and colder the more steps they took to get down to the basement but despite it making their movements slightly sluggish, they braced themselves and pushed forward, taking deep breaths as they readily awaited what’s to come as soon as they reached the end.</p><p>But no amount of breaths could ever prepare them for what they saw at the bottom of the staircase.</p><p>“Team Byul to EXO, we have found the captives. I repeat, we have found the captives.” Suho relays to his comms, “Dear Arceus, what is all of this?”</p><p>The room was the size of an airplane hangar at best, if not larger as most of it was shrouded in shadows. Bright, large, opaque tubes line the walls equidistantly and are paired with clusters of messy wires that spread through the ceiling like some sort of Tangela mutation, most of it connecting to the opposite end of the room.</p><p>But what really caught their attention was the large rectangular machine at the opposite end of the room, a spotlight showing off the magnificent thing while its surroundings remained in the dark. All of the wires end at its top, leading Jongdae to assume that whatever it was, it was controlling the glass tubes or vice versa.</p><p>Straining his ears, Jongdae could hear the low hum that signifies that the machine was active in whatever it was doing, but that may be the least of their concerns when the missing Pokémon were right in front of them. But as soon as Irene used Flash to light up the room, they were dumbfounded to see not just one or two rows, but dozens upon dozens of crates and cages littered all around the place.</p><p>“What in the world—This is Team Byul, calling for backup. This is a lot worse than we thought.” Suho then turns towards his group. “Scout the parameters and check their vitals.”</p><p>All of them were stacked on top of each other, each holding a Pokémon ranging from a Pidgey to a Tauros. Yet despite having the most rambunctious of Pokémon in their confines, none of them seem to be conscious, filling the spacious rooms with an eerie silence that none of the hybrids seem to like. Jongdae scans the cages for his Glaceon, but he couldn’t help but shudder at all the unmoving creatures in them. </p><p>“They’re all asleep.” He calls from his place, “But no amount of Sleep Powder could ever be this strong. What in Mew’s name could ever do something like this?”</p><p>A howl pierced through the silence and startled the group before several grunts appeared from the dark corners of the room, followed by groups of Arbok and Mightyena. The pack of hybrids shifted closer together as they glared at their adversaries, but a voice echoed through the room before any of them were able to initiate a clash.</p><p>
  <em> “And what do we have here?” </em>
</p><p>Emerging from the darkness was a Pokémon Jongdae didn’t recognize, yet by the dominant aura that cascaded from its dark-furred being, it must belong to the leader of this association. The canine-like Pokémon ambled towards the front of the machine as its triangular tip swayed calmly from side to side before standing proudly before the hybrid group, its curved gray horns adding to the menacing appearance as it gleamed.</p><p>“A posse of my own kind coming to me, this I don’t see every day.” He hummed, “Why wreck our plan when it is for our salvation?”</p><p>“Our? You’re a hybrid too?” Sehun grunts, “Why work for these vile humans whose only goal is to oppress us?”</p><p>The Pokémon chuckled, deep and intimidating. “Fool. <em> They </em> work for <em> me </em>! And now, you should too.”</p><p>“And why would we?” Suho challenged, “A Houndoom acting as a leader to lunatics who kidnap people’s Pokémon will never have my respect.”</p><p>The Houndoom growls, “Those humans deserve it. Don’t you see? We’ve always been the punching bag of both our counterparts. We’ve been hunted, captured, and experimented on by humans and these loyally dim-witted Pokémon help them do it!” </p><p>He straightens once more, eyeing all of them with his glowing red orbs. “It’s time for us to rise up. Elyxion is <em> our </em>region and my plan will make it ours forever. A leader is nothing with his loyal subjects, after all.”</p><p>The Houndoom lifts up his head as he takes a deep breath, its orange underbelly losing its glow the more he inhales. “Can you feel it in the air? To humans, it’s just a slightly chilly breeze, but to Pokémon, it’s a subzero drop that will force them into hibernation.” He drops his snout back down to grin creepily at them. “And without Pokémon to help them, what do they have against us?”</p><p>“But it’s Mew’s will for us to live in harmony with them despite our differences. He won’t allow this to happen.” Irene tries to reason, “It shouldn’t be an eye for an eye. Our great Arceus created us to coincide with these humans.”</p><p>“It’s not “harmony” if we hide for our safety! I’ve had enough being the lowest of the hierarchy.” The large dog Pokémon snaps his jaws. “Enough. You either join me for the liberation of our kind or go down in history as a traitor.”</p><p>“Liberation? You call <em> this </em>liberation?”</p><p>“Sacrifices must be made to achieve the greater good. What’s one life for the freedom of plenty?” The Houndoom growls, “Leave me to my plan and Elyxion will be ours once more!”</p><p>From the corner of Jongdae’s eye, he sees one of the grunts raise his weapon at them and he immediately steps in front of his team just before two probes exit the machine and latch onto the Pokémon as it sent an electric shock enough to bring down an Aggron. But for Jongdae, he absorbed every bit of the attack before returning the shock with just as much intensity.</p><p>And there begins the chaos.</p><p> </p><p>Jongdae had somehow situated himself on top of the cage, ducking as Sehun swooped down to take care of the Arbok chasing after him. The Electric-type gave him a grateful look towards the bird Pokémon before nearing the machine once more. If his hunch was right, then it must be connected to whatever hibernation-thing all of the Pokémon here were forced in. </p><p>All he needs to do is to get close enough to be able to short-circuit it.</p><p>The hum was getting louder by the second as he crept towards it on all fours, and he couldn’t help but compare it to the sound of the rectangle plastic box that emits cold air back in the city. The more Jongdae placed his mind into it, the more he found the uncannily similar qualities this machine was to it. Was this just a larger, more complex air conditioner?</p><p>“And where do you think you’re going?”</p><p>Jongdae was blindsided by a sudden collision to his side, knocking him off of the cages and into one of the clouded tubes on the sides of the room. Crashing into the cylindrical glass alone had startled Jongdae enough to leap away, mainly because it was so fucking <em> cold. </em></p><p>“Ah, I see you’ve met the powerhouse of my machine if you will.”</p><p>The Houndoom jumps in front of the Raichu and the latter bare his teeth in warning, but the Dark-type merely chuckles as he sits down. Raising his paw to the glass, the Houndoom wipes away the condensation accumulated on its surface, revealing a Glalie hovering inside. The spherical Pokémon looked fatigued and very confused, but at the sight of the Houndoom, it began hitting its confines sporadically.</p><p>“Their natural power is combined in that motherboard and my machine does the rest. It’s my greatest creation if I do say so myself.” </p><p>Then it hit Jongdae. Minseok was a pure Ice-type Pokémon hybrid. Could he be within one of these tubes? The Electric-type did a quick glance around him, but his hope was easily diminished as he saw dozens of them around the place. He didn’t have the time of day to look at every single one of them, so how?</p><p>The Houndoom eyes at the perplexed Pokémon, narrowing his blood-red orbs before widening it in recognition. “I’ve heard reports about a Raichu that raided the last batch of my Ice-types. They told me you were killed in a fall.”</p><p>“These Pokémon aren’t yours to begin with!” Jongdae hissed.</p><p>The Houndoom hums, choosing to ignore his response. “And what brings you back here, mouse? Are you, perhaps, looking for someone?”</p><p>“It’s none of your concern, mutt.”</p><p>Jongdae knew he had to keep his mouth in-check as soon as the hound Pokémon’s eyes turned into slits and its chest glowed considerably, but as soon as he saw the condensation from the nearby tube recede, an idea shot into his mind that was so drastically dangerous, it just might work. This hybrid was a half-Fire-type, wasn’t he? </p><p>Perhaps it’s time to turn up the heat.</p><p>“You should watch your words, mou—”</p><p>Without any hesitation, Jongdae vaulted straight towards the Houndoom and let out a shock in the collision, forcing the disoriented Pokémon to stumble and hit his snout on the glass tube, making the spectating Glalie laugh in his face to add insult to injury.</p><p>Once the Houndoom got his bearings, however, he glared daggers at the escaping Raichu as the latter waved his tail in a taunting manner. “Catch me if you can, matchstick!”</p><p>The furious snarl that Jongdae heard behind him was enough to make him stutter in his steps, yet he quickly recovered and twisted his head around to see the long strides the Houndoom was making in order to reach him, his blazing aura evaporating all of the dewey fog on the tubes until their surfaces were free from any precipitation. </p><p>Jongdae was both marveled and terrified of this fact, his plan teetering between the best he had ever thought of and the one that would get him killed. Nevertheless, he wasn’t going to slow down to find out. The next phase: find Minseok.</p><p>“Jongdae!” He heard Suho’s call as he stood a few strides away from him, “What in Mew’s name did you do?!”</p><p>Before Jongdae could instruct the leader to move away, Suho had already reared his head back before blasting a highly-pressurized jet of water towards his direction. The Raichu planted himself to the ground to avoid the Hydro Pump from hitting his small figure, yet his adversary wasn’t so lucky. Having lost his possibly dazed pursuer, Jongdae stood up and began searching through the now-transparent tubes.</p><p>“Hey! What was that all about?” Suho ran up to the frantic Pokémon, “You’re going to get yourself—”</p><p>“Minseok. He’s in one of these.” Jongdae cut off, eyes searching over the cylindrical containers until the one closest to the machine had caught his eye. “There!”</p><p>The Glaceon was curled up on the floor, head tucked into his body with his ears on top to act as if it was an extra layer of protection. Jongdae didn’t hesitate in placing his paws on the freezing glass, his heart aching at the sight of Minseok looking so vulnerable but as he pressed one ear on the surface, it somewhat relieved him when he heard a steady heartbeat.</p><p>Jongdae tapped on the tube’s surface, loud enough to garner the Ice-type’s attention. In any other situation, the absolute shock on Minseok’s face could send Jongdae to a full-on belly laugh, but seeing the Glaceon within his reach once more only brought tears into his eyes.</p><p>“Don’t worry, Minseok.” He began scratching against the thick glass. “I’ll get you out in—”</p><p>A scream from behind made him jump and turn around instinctively, just in time to see Suho get knocked into a wall of cages by none other than the Houndoom. The Pokémon was drenched to the bone, but seeing Jongdae had lit a fire inside his chest before he opened his jaws and sent a large wave of fire towards him. </p><p>Jongdae tried to counter it with an electric wave of his own, but the wall of yellow currents was immediately engulfed by the sea of fiery red, leaving the Raichu to take the brunt of the attack head-on, causing him to collide painfully with the tube behind him. </p><p>His entire body ached and burned all at the same time, and he was certain not one patch of his fur was saved from the demonic flames that his opponent. As he tried to stand up, another blow to the side had knocked all the air in his lungs and he was rolled on the floor like a skipping stone, leaving him to sputter pitifully on the concrete.</p><p>“Pathetic.”</p><p>Jongdae felt a paw press on his back and he couldn’t help but release a broken whine.</p><p>“Such a shame. You could have been a great asset to me.” The Houndoom chuckled as he pressed his paws deeper against the other. “Let this serve as a lesson then, traitor.”</p><p>Squeezing his eyes shut, Jongdae awaited the final blow from the Dark-type, but to his surprise, all he got was the piercing sound of glass bursting into millions of pieces.</p><p>Jongdae turned away immediately as debris began to rain on them, but at a surprising turn of events, the Raichu felt the Houndoom’s paws leave his battered body in an instant. Before he could crack his eyes open and peek out to survey the area, a chilly snout brushed against his cheek and he was met with a concerned Minseok’s blue orbs.</p><p>“You came for me.” </p><p>Minseok’s voice sounded like music to his ears as he caressed the Glaceon’s cheek with his paw.</p><p>“Of course, we’re in this together, remember?” Jongdae hums, rubbing his button nose with Minseok’s triangular one. “‘Til the end.”</p><p>Before Minseok was able to respond, a dark blur flew over them and collided with the Glaceon before they began rolling on the ground, the two Pokémon fighting a tooth and a nail against each other with no signs of parting. Jongdae raised his battered figure to help, yet his attention was taken away by a cry.</p><p>“Jongdae!”</p><p>Turning towards the owner of the voice, Jongdae saw Suho on Sehun’s back as they flew overhead. The Azumarill was cradling his limbs towards his chest yet he managed to point his long ears towards the large rectangular machine right next to him. “We need to turn it off! Short-circuit it if you can.”</p><p>“No! No! No!”</p><p>Jongdae had just settled on all-fours when he saw the Houndoom strike Minseok down with one paw before lunging towards him, pinning to the ground before he could even tap into his core. Hurt and fatigued, Jongdae couldn’t do anything but lay there as the Houndoom growled at his face.</p><p>“I won’t let you destroy all of my hard work!” He barked, “May Arceus save your wretched soul—”</p><p>From the far side of the room, Jongdae could see the speck of white nearing them by the second, growing larger and more ferocious as it charged towards the large machine. Looking back at the Houndoom holding him down, Jongdae managed to crack a grin at the sight of the smirk dropping from its snout.</p><p>With a roar, the Pokémon leaped off of Jongdae in favor of standing in front of the machine as a means of protecting it, a Shadow Ball forming between its jaws in an attempt to challenge the great white flare that was a few strides in front of him, burning brighter than the last he saw of it in the Winter League. </p><p>“You will not-!”</p><p>But Minseok had already vaulted towards the Houndoom and the machine with a guttural snarl, not letting him get the time of day to finish his spiel. Jongdae heard the shrill sound of metal crashing into one another before his entire world went white.</p><p></p><div class="center">
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</div><p>All was silent at the mountain peak of Mt. Tane’s peak.</p><p>With the blanket of midnight settling over the lands, one may assume it was just another cold winter’s night.</p><p>But then, a mighty golden bird flies through the dark blanket and paints the sky with a glaze of color every time it flaps its wings. To most humans, this was just a normal occurrence brought by the weather and a perfect opportunity to capture with their cameras, but to Pokémon, this was the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh gracing the sky with its presence.</p><p>But despite such a surreal sight unfolding in front of them, Jongdae’s gaze seems to be elsewhere.</p><p>“You’re staring again.”</p><p>The Raichu chuckled at the shy comment that came from his companion as he snuggled closer to him, taking in the natural scent of snow and Periwinkle that the other permeated. “Nothing could be more beautiful than what I’m seeing.”</p><p>Minseok scrunched his nose, pawing at the other as Jongdae dissolved into peals of laughter at the other’s whines for him to shut up and watch how Ho-Oh was turning the sky into its own canvas. “Just enjoy the remaining time we have here. We’ll be leaving with Suho back to their place tomorrow, remember?”</p><p>“Ah, the job of Elite agents is never done.” Jongdae rolls his eyes, “We raid <em> one </em>group and we get recruited as top-tier individuals in the entire organization.”</p><p>“I think it’s because we absolutely decimated the Red Force’s machine, Dae.” Minseok chuckled, “We could resign if that’s what you want?”</p><p>Jongdae shook his head. “Nah, I’ve gotten used to the thrill. It’ll be a shame if I just go back to berry picking again.”</p><p>“Speaking of,” Minseok hums, pausing just to relish in the mid-winter’s breeze that just blew past them. “How are Jongin and the others? You’ve got to talk to them, right?”</p><p>“The computer screen was still too small even if it was a lot bigger than a phone’s, but it was manageable.” Jongdae responds, “They’re still the chaotic bunch I know, though Kyungsoo’s been thinking of accepting Suho’s offer.”</p><p>“I really hope he does. I kind of missed that bird even though he grilled me the first time we met.” Minseok stretched his lithe body on the soft grass. “How do you survive living with someone like him?”</p><p>Jongdae shrugged, “We have Jongin.”</p><p>That seemed to be self-explanatory to the Glaceon as he only giggled before rolling his figure back to Jongdae’s side. The two hybrids sat in comfortable silence until Jongdae spoke up once more.</p><p>“Suho said there will be plenty of Pokémon Leagues in his city, you up for it?”</p><p>“I know you’ve already accepted to be in one, Dae. You’ve become a massive battle addict, even more than me.”</p><p>“Yeah, well...” Jongdae immediately reddened, burying his head in his paws as the other’s light chuckle filled the area. “You don’t need to go after me like that.”</p><p>“Someone had to keep you in line.” Minseok snorts, “What’s with that attitude? You’re just mad that I’m spitting straight facts.”</p><p> The two share a lengthy banter between each other before Jongdae was the first one to yield, opting to roll over and trap the Glaceon under his weight instead. Unfortunately for him, Minseok had immediately turned the tables in his favor and his advantage left just as quick as it came. Groaning, Jongdae placed his head back down on the ground.</p><p>“Now this is just unfair.”</p><p>“I don’t make the rules here, Sparks.” Minseok leans down before quickly licking the other’s cheek. “You’re stuck with me no matter what.” </p><p>“Regardless,” Jongdae’s grin widens as he intertwines their tails together. “I’d choose you anytime, Snowflake.”</p>
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